


Into The Gap

by FuryReina (ShadowRese)



Series: Mind the Gap [2]
Category: Spartacus Series (TV), The Gap Cycle - Stephen R. Donaldson
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Alternate Universe - Space, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-22
Updated: 2013-10-05
Packaged: 2017-12-24 06:53:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 17
Words: 42,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/936718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowRese/pseuds/FuryReina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nasir MornHyl has been rescued by the dashing and dangerous illegal, Agron Niklaus. Together they must face turbulent times, dangerous enemies (both new and old), and the perils of Forbidden Space. Will they be able to overcome their less than ideal beginnings and find love in one another's arms?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Nasir is now on board Captain's Fancy, Agron's sleek, little frigate. Unsure if he can trust Agron, he begins a dangerous game that could see him dead or worse.

   

    Nasir MornHyl had not opened his mouth once since the moment Mira Vasaczk handed to him off to Agron Niklaus. Gripping his arm tightly, Agron had easily weaved through the crowd at Ludus, leading Nasir to the docks where Captain's Fancy was primed and ready for take off. Though the pace they kept was almost a stroll, Nasir still felt as though he were at full sprint. Both of his fists remained in his pocktes, one clinging fast to the zone implant control.

    Once, Nasir stumbled, his foot catching on a cable or power line, but Agron was there, with his strong arms, to heave him back up and keep them moving. A young man with dark skin and head full of tight curls keyed the code into the airlock, and then they were all moving through it, into the dim space beyond. Agron turned to Nasir, and placed his hand upon his chin, tilting the boy's face upwards.

    "No heavy g," Nasir gasped out. "Please, no heavy g, not without warning me first." At least he had enough sense to remember that. Until he learned how to control his own gap sickness with his implant control, he would need to have advance warning if the ship was going to need to go heavy, so he could use the timer function and put himself to sleep.

    Tilting his head to the side, a curious look in his eyes, Agron questioned him. "Why, is there something wrong with you? Are you sick or hurt or something?"

    "No, I'm just so exhausted. Heavy g will just make it worse. I need some time to recover first." Nasir tried not to recoil from Agron's gaze. The things Ashur had done to him were still too fresh in his mind.

    Agron was accustomed to having men fawn all over him, he would not have been pleased to know the truth of Nasir's feelings. He also would not have  been pleased to know the real reason Nasir dreaded heavy g. It was the trigger in his gap sickness, the thing that turned him into a murderer, and made him believe he could know all the mysteries of the universe if he would just initiate self destruct. His father was dead, and it was all Nasir's fault. All he could think was that he must be deficient in some way, and the zone implant was the one thing that could help him to overcome that. Nasir would have killed anyone who dared tried to take that away from him now.

    Luckily for Nasir, Agron had other things of more pressing concern at the moment. Nodding once tersely, Agron turned to his second. "Mira, take him to the cabin I picked out for him. Get him some food, some cat if he thinks he needs it. Who the fuck knows what that fucking cunt did to him." Glancing at Nasir once again, he spoke in a low voice, "We have to leave, now. Security doesn't want us hanging around, it's part of the deal."

    Mira Vasaczk grabbed Nasir brusquely by his arm, and hauled him away toward the lift to the cabin deck. Nasir was surprisedby the luxury Captain's Fancy seemed to afford. It was obvious Agron was a much better illegal than Ashur had been. WIth a scowl on her face, Mira guided Nasir to a large room and showed him how to key the locks on the door and where the com buttons were. Finally, she spoke, though her manner was far from welcoming. "Do you want anything?"

    Nasir tried to smile, "No, I just want to go to sleep for awhile, knowing I'm somewhere safe."

    Placing her hands on her hips, and jutting them at Nasir, she snapped, "I wouldn't count on that MornHyl." She was already at the door when she turned back to Nasir once more. "I'd be careful if I were you. Agron is a hell of a lot smarter than he looks." Without bothering to explain the meaning of her statement, or wait for a reply, she left the room, the door sliding shut behind her automatically.

    There was no time to be wasted. Nasir shot from the bed, and tapped a code into the keypad of the door. He knew it wouldn't really do much good, Agron could override the code from the bridge anytime he wanted, but it would help to serve as a warning if someone wanted to come in. As he crossed back to the bed once more, Nasir pulled the tiny black box that was his ruin from his pocket. Ashur had succeeded in breaking the boy down.  He was so far gone that he truly believed the zome implant was the key to his survival, and for the right to control it himself, he had sold his soul to a man worse than any demon of the underworld.

    Immediately after pressing a button on the control, a feeling of euphoria came over him. Nasir was so at peace and relaxed that he almost fell asleep sitting right there. Forcing himself from the depths of bliss, Nasir keyed the button once more, turning off the sensation. His true state of mind came rushing back, bringing him to tears. Determined not to allow himself to sink back into despair, Nasir raised the box to look at it once more. Just as he was about to press another button on it, the ship began to uncouple from the dock. Gravity disappeared slowly and Nasir began to rise into the air, floating weightlessly. From the bridge a warning chimed, and internal g was initiated gradually, and he settled back on the bed.

    Mouth set into a grim line, Nasir quickly pushed another button. Ahhhhhhh, nonononono! Wrong button! This one brought only pain, as though he were on fire. Briefly he wondered if this what his father had felt aboard Starmaster when he had been flash-blinded. He tried to jab at the button again to turn off the pain, but instead he hit the intensity switch, and the pain began to lessen. Trying once more, he accidentally touched the one that had made him feel at peace.

    The combination of those buttons produced a sensation that was totally foreign to Nasir. It was desire, and somewhere deep inside he felt a physical ache, as though his body were crying out to be taken. Warm, moist, pink tongue darted out to lick his plump lips before he raised his hand to his own mouth, sucking in first one finger, then a second. He wrapped his tongue around those digits, and pushed them further into his mouth, at the same time that he felt his cock twitch. He moved his right hand down between his legs, and began to rub at himself through the fabric of his filthy shipsuit. It was that which brought him back to himself, and he was disgusted, even though his desire had not lessened and he felt his cock filling.

    He stabbed at the buttons once more, shutting it off, and again, he was filled with a desperation at the loss. Nasir wanted so badly to sleep, but knew he could not. Ashur had taught him about survival if nothing else. He rose and entered the bathroom, ripping off his clothing and tossing it into the garbage chute. The spray of the hot water in the shower felt so good, and Nasir allowed himself a few moments to luxuriate in it. He chose a soap that smelled of vanilla and honey and scrubbed until he shone. It might not have washed Ashur's touch from his mind, but at least his skin felt clean. Stepping out, he lifted a thick, plush, cream colored towel from the bar, and dried himself. He went back to his door and cancelled the lock, opting for a three second delay instead before the door would open on its own.

    Nasir chose to forego clothing, instead slipping into his bunk naked, tucked his implant control under the mattress, and pulled the blankets tight. When Agron finally came to his berth a few hours later, Nasir was as ready for him as it was possible to be. His door lock beeped, and Nasir stuffed his hand under the mattress, hitting the combination of buttons that would save his life.

    Agron Niklaus crossed the threshold to Nasir's room, looking every bit the romantic hero people back on Cap-Station believed him to be. His grin was at once both boyish and seductive, and revealed his deep dimples. His eyes were the green of the deep sea, and they sparkled now with the desire to finally claim his prize. His muscles could be seen to ripple through the thin fabric of his shipsuit as he strode on impossibly long legs towards Nasir's bed.

    He stopped a few paces from the bunk, and smiled widely, seeming to want Nasir to speak first. When it was clear he wouldn't, Agron opened his mouth to speak. "Apologies, but I'm afraid we don't have any choice about heavy g. After our blink crossing, it seems our gap drive is in need of repairs. We'll have to use all the thrust we've got if we want to make it anywhere."

    Right then, Nasir could not care less about heavy g, or gap drives. The zone implant was driving him, and a warm ache was building in his loins. He lifted his outstretched arms to Agron, inviting him to join him in the bed. His need was evident on his face, he was sure of it. Agron took two more steps towards him and pulled the covers down, laying Nasir's body bare. Still he did not touch Nasir.

    "You're a cop," he stated.

    Nasir had to swallow hard, and concentrate on speaking. In a low and husky voice, he murmured, "I can be anything you want me to be. You rescued me..." Surprised at his own wantonness, Nasir reached out and took Agron's hand, licking his fingertips seductively. Still Agron refused to give the boy what he so clearly wanted. Instead his eyes flashed, the anger burning behind them.

    "So is this how you convinced Captain Thermo-pile to keep you alive?"

    "No," Nasir snapped, unthinking. "You've seen what he's like. And I left him, for you, didn't I?"

    A knowing smirk appeared on that handsome face. "Try again."

    "Agron, please, can we talk about this another time? Can't you see how much I need you, now?" Nasir practically sobbed.

    "You name is Nasir MornHyl, and you're a cop. Ashur Thermo-pile is a piece of shit illegal, and you're one of the elite. You work for Sura Donner, UMCP Enforcement Division. That fucker should have blasted you into tiny little pieces and shot you out of his airlock. You're going to tell me why he let you live."

    Nasir would tell Agron only as much of the truth as he needed to. "He was alone on his ship, Bright Beauty. I was the only survivor on Starmaster. I couldn't possibly have done anything to hurt him. But we could help each other. I needed to get off that floating tomb, and he needed a crew. So we made a bargain."

    Agron grinned once more, "That's a start. You can tell us all the rest later. But now..." Nasir heard Agron kick off his heavy boots and unseal his shipsuit. He looked up, and before him was a body that could have been sculpted by the Gods themselves. The scars under Agron's eyes were black with passion, and Nasir was driven mad with lust.

    A low sound came from Agron's throat and he lowered himself to the bed. His hands went straight to those long black strands he had been thinking about since he first saw the boy. Their eyes met, and Nasir arched his back up, his body needing to make contact with Agron's naked flesh. The larger man brought his lips down on Nasir's, tongue lapping at his lips, easing them open so that he might taste Nasir's warm, wet, mouth. A small whimper escaped Nasir, and Agron went in for more, teeth gently nipping at Nasir's bottom lip, while his hands roamed over that bare chest. Nasir wrapped his arms around Agron's neck, attempting to pull him closer. Agron's knee was between Nasir's thighs, parting them, and he moved between them, his cock pressing against Nasir's own erect, leaking one. The younger man bucked his hips, and whined, pushing large hands further down on his body that thrummed with desire.

    Encircling Nasir's slim waist, Agron tightened his hands, wanting to lay claim to the beautiful body that lay under his. Even through the haze that the zone implant induced in him, Nasir felt the pain. There was a sharp intake of breath and a hiss, and Agron froze. Lustful gaze was replaced by a concerned one, and the big man pulled back, peering down into large amber eyes that were caught halfway between pleasure and pain. "What is it?" he asked huskily.

    "It's nothing, just a bruise. Please, forget that, I would have you now, Agron," Nasir whispered urgently. He felt like his synapses were on fire, and if Agron did not take him soon, he feared he might burn out.

    "What do you mean nothing?" questioned Agron as he looked down, and for the first time noticed the marks that covered the boy's hips and thighs. "What did that sick fuck do to you, little man?"  Some of the bruises were faded and yellowing, others were still fresh, and stood out a livid purple against soft, olive, skin.

    "It doesn't matter. I don't care about that anymore. All I want is to be here with you, now. I need this, I need you Agron."

    "No," Agron choked out. "I should have killed that bastard, murdered the son of a whore in his sleep that night we snuck those supplies on board. "

    "Hush, Agron," Nasir moaned as he writhed on the bed underneath him. "Why can't you just forget about Ashur? Can't you see what you do to me?" He was almost weeping with the need the zone implant was bringing on in him.

    "I said no!" Agron snapped, more forcefully than he had intended, and now Nasir was crying, tears of frustration sliding down his cheeks. Just then though, the intercom chimed and Mira Vasaczk's voice filled the room. "Agron, you're wanted on the bridge."

    "I have to go, we can come back to this later." The captain took over once more, and Agron was now all business, standing and pulling on his underwear and shipsuit, lacing up his boots.

    "What is it?" Nasir managed, even though his body was still aflame.

    With bright eyes and a shrewd smile on his face, Agron spoke. "We're not like the UMCP around here, we're actually pretty laid back. But I do have a few rules that are not open to negotiation. One of them is when you hear the word 'want', you don't ask questions, you just do it. Got that?" Nasir nodded vigorously, and Agron responded, "Good."

    With that he crossed to the door, it slid open, and he was gone. Jamming his hand under his mattress, Nasir fumbled for the control box, shutting it off for the moment. He was left feeling bereft, alone, disgusted, and ashamed of himself. He turned and buried his head in his pillow, and wept over the misery that was his life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Unsure if Agron's crew are friends or enemies, Nasir must make some difficult choices. Finding himself cornered, he is forced to reveal one of his secrets.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's not going to happen right away, but the between Agron and Nasir will get easier. This chapter is all Nasir's POV, but we will get to see Agron's side of things soon.

   Perhaps somewhere in the back of his mind, Nasir registered that Captain's Fancy hadn't been underway long and already Agron was needed on the bridge. Truthfully though at that point, his concern was what had just occurred between Agron and himself. He could not understand why the big man had held back. Worry gnawed at his heart. Had Agron found him unappealing, or repulsive in some manner? Had it been because the bruises marred his looks? If Agron did not desire him sexually, then what was left for him? Nasir had assumed the ship captain would take him to his bed as payment for being rescued. He had hoped that once Agron tired of him, he would let him go, freely, maybe leaving him on one of the many space stations within human territory.

    He did not even want to imagine what would happen to him if he never managed to secure Agron's favor. Nasir rehashed the details again and again, and it all kept coming back to the moment Agron had noticed the marks of Ashur's mistreatment on his body. Surely Agron had to have known that bastard had used Nasir against his will, and roughly. It couldn't have been surprise then that halted his lovemaking. There was one other possibility, but for Nasir it made no sense. Agron had appeared almost indignant, angry even, but not at Nasir, at Ashur. But that was just stupid. Agron didn't care about him, not really anyway. No, Nasir couldn't believe that.

    Deciding that it didn't make one bit of difference what Agron's  true intentions were, Nasir stood from the bunk and moved to the closet, looking for clean clothing. He frowned as he located a new shipsuit easily. Captain's Fancy must have entertained many guests, male ones, judging by the cuts and sizes of the items found inside the closet. Nasir got himself dressed and put on a pair of boots he found that were almost his size.

    Agron hadn't forbid him from leaving his cabin, so Nasir decided his next step should be to go and explore his new surroundings. Assuming Agron felt it worth his his trouble to keep Nasir on board, he'd better learn some things about his new home. As long as he stayed away from the bridge, no one would question his desire to familiarize himself with the ship.

    From underneath his mattress, Nasir retrieved the black box. As he was about the exit his room, he stopped. If he carried it with him everywhere, the likelihood that he might drop or lose it increased. Where to put it for safekeeping? It would have to be somewhere that no one would think to search, but also easily accessible so that he could get to it fast in an emergency. For now, he decided on the bathroom. From the medicine cabinet , he snatched up the first aid kit, and emptied the supplies. He placed the box at the very bottom and then covered it back up with the bandages and other things.

    After exiting his room, Nasir turned in the opposite direction from the one he had come with Mira. Willing himself to stay calm, he walked down a long corridor, passing maybe five or six doors identical to his. More cabins, he guessed, for guests. At this end of the hallway stood another lift. Unsure of whether to take a chance and explore another floor or not, Nasir began to tremble, and covered his face with his hands. He could feel the desperation begin to set in, and he could not give in to it. He was Captain Davir MornHyl's only son, dammit, and he had better start acting like it!

    Nasir squared his shoulders and keyed the lift. Once inside, he selected one floor down, and stepped out to look around. The strong aroma of coffee assaulted his nose at once. He must be near the galley, he thought. There were most likely crew cabins on this level, as well as showers and perhaps even the medbay.

    Following the smell of the coffee, Nasir let his nose lead the way. The galley had no door, but was fully equipped. He stepped towards the counter where the beverage dispenser was located and pulled a mug from the nearby cabinet. Placing it under the tap, he keyed his choice, coffee, cream, no sugar. Once the mug was filled he took it in his hands, enjoying the warmth that spread from the mug to his fingertips. Turning around to find a seat, he noticed a man already sitting at one of the tables.

    Nasir froze, and even considered dropping the coffee and running for the relative safety of his cabin once more. Then the man looked up at him, and gave a smile that traveled from his lips to light his pale blue eyes. He was an older gentleman with fair skin and thinning, white hair. He looked friendly enough, but Nasir couldn't be sure.

    "If you don't mind the company of an old fool, you're welcome to bring your cup and have a seat here," the man offered kindly.

    Nasir stayed where he was, his fingers gripping the cup tightly. He wasn't prepared to trust anything on board this ship yet. "You know who I am?" he asked instead.

    "Saw you in Ludus more than once, and you're also the only guest Agron chose to bring along this time. I understand why you'd be wary. We all know who you are, and you don't know any of us. Although I'm guessing by now you know Agron." The man paused for a moment, giving Nasir a chance to speak. When he didn't take it, the old man continued.

    "Well, I suppose I can start off by introducing myself to you, then. I'm Lucius Caelius, ship's engineer. As you can see, I'm presently off duty. My second is just a young pup off Vesuvius Industrial, where they don't teach 'em much, but I imagine he can keep us going in my absence."

    Lucius stood and refilled his coffee mug, and continued talking while he made his way back to the table. "You're UMCP, and we're illegals, so I know you've got no reason to trust any of us. But you'd be crazy to pass up an opportunity to converse with someone who has been told he suffers from diarrhea of the mouth more often than not." With that he smiled at Nasir again, and despite himself, Nasir smiled back. Tentatively, he moved to sit at the table across from Lucius.

    "Gratitude," he mumbled, and took a sip of the hot liquid to cover his fear. The coffee seemed to give him strength, and he took another, larger sip.

    "So, what would you like to know about us?"

    "How many of you are there on board?" Nasir asked.

    "Twenty of us, besides you. Now that probably seems like twenty good reasons to be scared to you, but let me assure you, that's just not true. Now that doesn't mean you can trust us, but it does mean you don't have to worry about all twenty of us. The only one you need to be concerned with is Agron." Lucius gestured with his palms up, "Agron isn't just our captain. He is the law, the gravity well the rest of us are just caught up in. As long as he's happy, none of us is a threat to you."    

    Nasir remained silent, at a loss as to how to respond to Lucius' outpouring. But the old man wasn't done it seemed. "Another thing you should know about Agron, he doesn't go around giving away his castoffs, kid. So no worries that he's the kind of man to tire of you and let someone else have you. If you're his, well then, that's it."

    "Is that supposed to make feel better?" came the response. He was doing his very best to contain the mad laughter that wanted to bubble forth at any moment. The situation in which he now found himself was so bizarre, so far from anything he could have ever dreamed up, that he was having a difficult time holding on to his sanity.

    Lucius looked at him warily. "It should, son. It makes your predicament that much easier to cope with."

    Slowly, Nasir struggled to come with an appropriate response. ''I suppose you're right." Staring down into his coffee mug, he forged ahead. "But, if I can ask a question here. Why are you all so loyal to him? I mean, you said it yourself, you're all illegals. So that means you don't live within the confines of the rules. Why is it that he's the law? What makes Agron's wants or needs more important than anyone else's on board this ship?"

    There was a moment of silence, in which Lucius seemed to consider his answer. With a grin, he replied smoothly, "Because Agron never loses."

    While he was collecting his thoughts, the intercom suddenly chimed. The same voice from earlier stated. "Nasir MornHyl, you're wanted on the bridge." Nasir didn't dare move a muscle. Panic welled up in him, and he was rooted to the spot. A moment later, Mira Vasaczk's voice filled the room once more. "Acknowledge, MornHyl." The hostility in her tone was evident.

    Lucius reached over and keyed the intercom. "The kid's with me Mira. I'll get him to the bridge, and make sure he doesn't get lost on the way. Caelius out." Then he clicked off the com system. "It's no trouble, you've given me an excuse to get to the bridge too, I'm a bit curious about what's going with us anyway."

    He took Nasir's elbow as he stood, urging him to stand as well. As he guided him back in the direction of the lift he resumed talking. "Now I know I told you there's no need to worry about us, and that's true. But there are a few people you should watch out for. Mira Vasaczk is one of them. She's got a protective streak about her when it comes to Agron. She can't hurt you, but she would if she could."

    For the next few minutes, nothing seemed to penetrate the discomfort Nasir felt as he and Lucius made their way to the bridge. The older man rattled off information and descriptions likeNasir was on a guided tour, but Nasir took in none of it. By the time they gained the bridge, Nasir was feeling as though his legs were going to buckle and he was cursing himself and the Gods for leaving his zone implant control in his room.

    Agron was sitting in his g-seat, his fingers occasionally tapping at buttons on the console before him. Mira stood next to him, her whole body leaning towards him. When she noticed Nasir and Lucius, she nudged Agron gently with her elbow.

    "Agron," Lucius stated as he inclined his head, and smiled calmly. Nasir made a mental note of the fact that no one seemed to call him "Captain."

    The smile on Agron's face was more of a feral grin, his teeth bared, like a large wolf, and his eyes were fixed on Nasir. "We seem to have a problem." His voice was calm, as though they were only making small talk. "The deal we made with Cap-Station is falling apart. Fuckers can't be trusted, they want us to turn back. If we don't comply, they're threatening to pursue. They are under the impression you have something they want."

    Every person on the bridge was staring at Nasir, from the wary looks from the other crew members, to Mira's enmity, to Lucius' encouraging smile. Something told Nasir he had better focus on Agron only. Lucius had told him as much, none of these other people mattered. In a tired voice, he asked, "What are you going to do?"

    "I'm going to get some honesty from you. Then I'll make up my mid about what I'm going to do."

    "What do you mean honesty?" Suddenly, Nasir hated the weak sound of his own voice, he hated the trembling of his legs. He started to feel anger, and rage. At Ashur for what he had done to him, at Agron for putting him in this position, but mostly at himself. "You know I'm UMCP, what other secrets could I possibly have? How much more honesty do you need? What I know, is that you have a connection in Cap-Station security. You couldn't have framed him so easily otherwise. So maybe it's not me they want. Maybe your ally is feeling the heat and is going to give you up."

    Mira interrupted Nasir's speech. "Let me make it clear. You're a cop. Thermopyle is a pirate and a murderer - he's scum." She almost sounded like she was parroting Agron. "Yet, you crewed for him. You stayed with him, you even backed him against Security. The only thing I can think you did to hurt him was open his hatches. So if you don't tell us why, we can stick you in an escape pod headed back to Capua, leave you to them. No skin off my ass."

    "Agron, I already told you why. He needed a crew. Starmaster was wrecked - I would have died out there!"

    "Then why didn't you just leave him once you got to Station?" Mira countered.

    "Guess you're just going to have to do better than that, Nasir." Agron commented slowly. He was looking at Nasir with a fire in his eyes, like he was willing him to come up with some plausible explanation. 

    "Ok, you're right. There is more to it than that. I stayed because he left me no choice. He knew I was the one who wrecked Starmaster." Backed into a corner, only another piece of the truth would save him now. "I've got gap-sickness, and Ashur found out about it."

    Pandemonium erupted on the bridge. All the crew members began speaking at once, Mira curled her lip at him and started whispering urgently to Agron. Slamming his hands down on the armrests of his seat, Agron growled, "Quiet!" The blood had drained from his scars, and he actually looked scared for a moment before staring hard at Nasir again. "What the fuck did you just say?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger! Don't hate me now, next chapter will be up tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nasir faces his first major crisis aboard Captain's Fancy, and is learning who means him well and who does not.

   

    Nasir took a steadying breath. "Heavy g brings it on,it's like something else is in control of me, and I don't have any choice. I engage self-destruct. That's why I stuck with him. I was fresh out of options. Think about it. I'm UMCP, if I can't take heavy g, I'm finished. Before I destroyed my father's ship, I could have at least hoped to be a desk jockey. But now, hell, they'd have to give me a zone implant just to get me back to Earth to face a court martial. Would any of you want that? Someone with the power to click a button and turn you on or off whenever they feel like? I sure as shit don't! So I stayed with him, and he kept my secret. And I came to you when I got the chance because, well, you know what he is. You saw it, Agron."

    Shouting commenced among the crew as soon as he had finished speaking. "That's enough. None of you are thinking clearly." Agron didn't need to yell this time. He addressed the crew members that had been the loudest, each in turn. "Saxa, you're batshit crazy yourself - it's why you hate other crazies so much. Lugo, you always argue against every risky move we ever make. You're so damn cautious sometimes you hamstring yourself. And you,'' he flicked his attention at Mira like a whip, "You're just jealous."

    Agron contined talking nonchalantly. "Captain Thermo-pile must have figured out a way to handle Nasir's problem, otherwise they'd both be dead. So I don't see any reason we can't just do the same thing."

    "It's actually not hard, just lock me in my cabin. Or you can do what he did, administer some cat to knock me out for awhile. The rest of the time, I might actually be useful."

    In the moments Agron took to think things through, Nasir was dying inside. He wanted to run screaming from the bridge, and lock himself in his cabin, but he knew he could not. Coming to a decision, Agron called out, "Lugo, let's have a playback."

    The burly man's fingers danced across his console, and a nasally voice came over the speakers.

    "Captain Agron Niklaus. This is Milos Taverner, Deputy Chief of Capua Station Security. You have a young man aboard your ship, UMCP Ensign Nasir MornHyl. He is believed to be in possession of evidence crucial to our case against Captain Ashur Thermopyle. Bright Beauty's datacore is suspected of being altered. We believe a memory chip may have been removed from the computer's main banks, and that Ensign MornHyl took it with him upon his departure from this station. We request Ensign MornHyl be returned to Capua for interrogation. End message."

    Danger lurked in Agron's eyes, and when he began to speak, his voice was thick with it. "Is it true? Are you here, with me, but still working for him? Did you smuggle the evidence away? Are you still protecting him?" On the last words, Agron's voice took on a different timbre. He almost sounded hurt, and though he couldn't understand why, Nasir wanted to soothe that hurt away.

    "No. I never went anywhere near his datacore. He didn't give me any memory chip. I swear it, on my father's life."

    A young woman with wild, long, blond, hair, the one Agron had called Saxa, spoke up. "They can prove a chip is missing on their own. Fuckers don't need the kid's testimony for that. I mean, there's no other way to tamper with a datacore. What gets recorded can't be changed, or what would be the point of having them? So they have to be lying about that. They must need him back for some other reason, and they're just not sharing."

    "No," said Mira. "If they were lying, once Nasir got back to station, he'd know it, and then they'd be swimming in shit to fill their mouths. The tampering has to be real. They just don't know how it was done, and they think MornHyl can tell them."

    "But I can't! I already told you, I don't know anything about it!"

    Agron pulled his eyes away from Nasir, and stared at the screen in front of him for a moment. "That fucking cunt! If I knew how to edit a datacore, we'd be safe, forever. And fucking rich. With the credits we could make off selling that little secret, we could afford to buy our own Gods damned station.'' Before anyone else could begin speaking, he pointed at Nasir. "Lugo, record him. If it sounds alright, we send it back to Capua, and fuck it if they don't like it."

    With slow, deliberate, steps, Nasir made his way to Lugo's station. He pulled his i.d. tag from beneath the collar of his shipsuit, and plugged it into the com board. Once the system had pulled the required data from his tag, he placed it back around his neck, inside his shipsuit. He was going to have to bluff, and even if they did call him on it, it would be too late. He was giving Captain's Fancy time to get away. Clearing his throat, Nasir began to speak, and in doing so, he said one final goodbye to the life he had always envisioned for himself.

    "This is UMCP Ensign Nasir MornHyl. I have UMCP sanctioned business aboard Captain's Fancy, which is not within your jurisdiction. If you need confirmation, Sura Donner, ED Director can verify. I have no evidence in your case against the captain of Bright Beauty. I am unaware of any datacore tampering that may have occurred while on board said vessel. I did not witness the removal of any chip, nor was any given to me. If you pursue Captain Niklaus, you will be acting in direct conflict with a UMCP ED operation, and I will be forced to relay that information to not only my director, but also the head of the UMCP himself. Farewell, Capua Station." Nasir's throat closed up, and he could barely breathe.

    "Send it," Agron told Lugo. "Once only, no repeats. If they miss part of it, fuck them. Lucius, I need you down in engineering. In about ten minutes, we're going to burn hard, full thrusters."

    Nasir's stomach dropped, and he felt a wave of nausea hit him. "Burn hard" meant heavy g, the hardest acceleration Captain's Fancy could achieve. If his gap-sickness concerned Agron, he didn't show it. He stared at Nasir once more, and gave another of what Nasir was coming to think of as his signature grins. "Mira, get him back to his cabin. Lock the door, be sure he can't get out. I want him safe and secured until we're out of heavy g." His eyes on Nasir's face were soft, but Nasir was too afraid to think about that now. Mira stalked towards him with a frown on her lovely face and grabbed his elbow. She practically dragged him off the bridge and in a matter of a few minutes, was shoving him inside his cabin.

    "Let's get one thing straight. I'm not going to let you do anything to hurt this crew, this ship, or Agron. I don't know what you're doing to him, but he is the one who isn't thinking clearly. You're a danger to us all, and I wish to the Gods he had never laid eyes on you. If it was anybody else that wanted you, I'd blast you out of the airlock in a second. But you're his, which means you've got his protection. So when he finally sees you for the ticking time bomb you are, I'll be the one to pull the trigger."

    Desperation made Nasir brave. "Why don't we have this conversation on the bridge, Vasaczk, and let Agron choose. You've got his trust right now, but I think we both know I can give him something you can't, and in time, I can earn his trust too. For now, just get out of my cabin."

    Mira paled, and her fists clenched at her side. She would have liked nothing more than to beat him to a pulp right here, but Agron needed her and she wasn't ready to admit how much the kid's words hurt her. Instead she spun on her heel, and allowed the door to slide closed behind her, then tapped a lock into the keypad from from the outside.

    He didn't have much time. Agron had said heavy g in ten minutes. The desire to retain consciousness was strong but Nasir hadn't had a chance to play with the zone implant control and had no idea how to counter his gap-scikness. And Agron wasn't going to wait around for him to figure things out. He had at most two minutes left. While he sat there with the remote in his hands, a warning bell chimed over the intercom. Agron's voice filled his cabin, "Full thrust burn in sixty seconds."

    In a panic, he threw himself onto his bunk, pulled up and sealed his blanket, effectively strapping himself in. He could feel a rumble in the ship, the thrusters coming online. Frantically, he stabbed at the button that would put him to sleep, and stuffed the box under his mattress again. In the few seconds it took for the zone implant to do its magic, Nasir cursed himself for a fool. He should have thought to ask how long they would burn for. He could have used the timer function to release him from oblivion at the right time, but no! He hadn't thought that far ahead. Even as his waking mind shut off, he felt terrified. He wouldn't wake up! At least not until someone found his control, and shut it off.  
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    The walls were moving. What the hell, walls don't move, he thought. And why was he looking at things upside down? Wait, the walls weren't moving, he was. As some of the fog cleared, he realized he could feel one hard arm under his knees, another across his back, and his head was hanging back. For a moment he thought it was Agron carrying him, but when he looked up, the face of the man holding him was not familiar. That alone brought on panic. He struggled uselessly - he was still too deep in the throes of induced sleep.

    "Put him down, let's see if he can stand on his own," came a kind voice, one that he knew. Nasir nearly fell to his knees, but he was close enough to the lift door to brace himself with both hands. "We're taking you to sick bay, son. You're gonna be alright."

    The man speaking to him was Lucius Caelius, the one person he trusted on this ship. The other was a hulking man with hard eyes, and an even harder smile. Neither was holidng the control, as far as he could see.

    "Nasir, say something. Are you still experiencing the gap-sickness, or are you back to being you, kid?"

    Nasir blinked several times, and opened his mouth, only to croak, "Why-"

    Why am I awake? Why am I here? Why didn't you find my zone implant control?

    Lucius began to explain before Nasir incriminated himself. "We need to know if you're still gap-sick. We can take you to medbay if you are and see if we can find some way to snap you out of it." He gestured to the man standing nearby. "This here is Gnaeus Vorbuld. We don't have a doc on board, but Gnaeus has a lot of experience in medbays."

    "No," Nasir whispered. "I don't need the medbay." Even the most routine of exams would reveal his zone implant, and that was one thing he couldn't have. Things were starting to come together for him. Lucius hadn't found the control, otherwise, it would be Agron down here confronting him for lying. More likely than not, he was awake because they had carried him out of its range. Relief flooded him, and he could think again. "I'm not crazy anymore. I just... I took too much cat. I wasn't sure how long we'd be going heavy and I just went overboard I think."

    Even as worried as he was for the kid, Nasir's comment raised a flag in Lucius. Agron hadn't ordered drugs for the boy. "Who gave you the cat, Nasir?"

    Lying was becoming second nature to him. "I brought some with me from Bright Beauty's stores. I wanted to be sure I would always be safe, and that I wouldn't hurt anyone again."

    Nodding, Lucius reached behind Nasir and keyed the intercom. "I've got him Agron, he seems alright."

    Agron's response was immediate. "Nasir, go down to the galley with Lucius, get some food into you. You haven't eaten since you came on board. I'll come by your cabin as soon as I can. Gnaeus, get your ass to your cabin and sleep. You're overdue and I'm going to need you at your best. Niklaus out."

    The one called Gnaeus hesitated, staring at Nasir fixedly. In a deep voice, he said to him, "You're too much for Agron." With one of this hands, he reached out and took a few strands of Nasir's hair into his thick fingers. The he turned and walked away.

    Lucius keyed the lift, and once they were inside he addressed what had just transpired. "Gnaeus is kind of a genius. He's our data one, mostly because he can do things with computers that not many can. Unfortunately, he's got the glands of an ape. He's another one of those you should watch out for."  
      
   


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nasir learns a devastating truth, and is filled with conflicting emotions regarding Agron.

  
  
    The galley was empty when Nasir arrived there with Lucius. Captain's Fancy had come out of heavy g awhile ago, and the rest of the crew had taken the opportunity to eat something. Lucius guided Nasir to a seat at one of the tables, and selected something for him from the foodvend. Then he set about getting them both some coffee. He came back to table with a tray containing two mugs, and bowl of something hot and steaming. Right now, Nasir didn't even care what it was. He hadn't eaten in so long, and he was starving. When he was done, he pushed the tray aside and nodded a thanks to the old man.

    "How long did we burn?" he asked the man he was beginning to consider a friend.

    "Four hours, son." Lucius took a sip of his coffee, and talked on. "That's about as much as any of us can stand, even with drugs. And Agron's not the kind of captain that goes about doping his crew up just to get more out of them. After we stopped burning, you didn't answer the summons over the intercom, so Gnaeus and I volunteered to see if you were alright."

    Nasir apologized for worrying him, and he and Lucius talked about trivial things for a time. When Nasir asked what their destination was, Lucius only responded, "You know I can't tell you that, kid. At least not without Agron's permission."

    Settling on a more suitable topic, the old man explained how there was a one, a two, and a three at most positions for the ship, except engineering - command, scan, communications, targeting and weapons, helm, and data and damage control. Nasir had hoped maybe Agron was missing a crew member, more than anything else he wanted to feel useful. Of course, he doubted he'd be let anywhere near the bridge after his little revelation a few hours ago.  

    Just as he was beginning to get comfortable with Lucius, Nasir heard someone clearing their throat from the entrance to the galley. Both men looked around, and there was Agron, watching them with a curious expression on his face. "Apologies, I didn't mean to eavesdrop."

    "Can't really be called eavesdropping when it's your own ship though, can it?" joked Lucius. His gaze went back and forth from his captain to the young man seated before him. The old guy had been around long enough, he could tell when he was being a third wheel. "I guess I'll try and get some rest for now. Agron be sure and have the pup wake me if things take a turn."

    The captain nodded once, and clapped Lucius on the shoulder as he moved past him. Both Agron and Nasir watched him go, limping as he did. Agron approached the table where Nasir sat, and the younger man began to fidget, nervous as he was. "Would you like some coffee?" he asked as he stood and made his way towards the cabinets.

    ''Yeah, sure," Agron answered. "Just black though, no cream or sugar." The captain dropped down into the chair, and rested his head in hands. He was exhausted and needed sleep, but he had felt the need to come and check on Nasir first. When the boy returned with the steaming mug, Agron took it gratefully, curling his long fingers around the heat it gave off.

    "Will you sit with me, at least for a little while? I can't keep my eyes open much longer, but I would like to spend a few minutes with you." Agron framed his words as casually as possible, but he was overjoyed when Nasir nodded his head yes. His face broke out into a wide grin, his dimples showing through and giving him a youthful look. Nasir sat directly across from Agron and they both stared at one another. Without his zone implant control Nasir felt vulnerable and weak, but he was doing his best to appear normal.

    "That was very brave of you, admitting your gap-sickness in front of everyone. I mean, that took a lot of courage, Nasir."

    Nasir raised his eyebrow, "Did you think I was a weak little coward then when you picked me up?"

    "No," Agron floundered. "I didn't mean it that way, I just meant I don't know if I could be that brave to admit something like that." He paused for a moment, and then ran his hands through his sandy brown hair. "I don't know why I said that. I'm supposed to be this fearless captain, and here I am admitting I don't think I could be as brave as kid fresh out of the academy."

    "Yeah, well, this kid has seen more in the last few months than he ever hoped to in his whole life. I had all these grand notions about being a cop, and catching bad guys who preyed on the helpless. And here I am, turned into one of those helpless. On board an illegal ship, with a bunch of outlaws for company, heading for who knows what port. The UMCP was my life, and I tossed it all away when I triggered the self-destruct on my father's ship."

    Abruptly, Nasir pushed back from the table and went to stand in front of the counter, his back to Agron. He was crying, tears falling hot like liquid fire down his gaunt cheeks. He heard Agron push his chair back, and his soft footfalls coming to stand directly behind him. When he felt his hands on his shoulders, Nasir flinched, but then Agron was turning him around, and pulling him into his strong arms. He tried to pull away, suddenly terrified of their closeness, and thinking that Agron was going to brutalize him for his weakness, the same way Ashur had done.

    Agron, misunderstanding Nasir's attempts to free himself, only held on that much tighter. He thought Nasir was ashamed of his crying, and he wanted the young man to understand that Agron didn't think him weak at all. Raising one hand to stroke Nasir's soft ebony hair, he whispered to him gently. "It's all right, little man. It's ok to cry, I'm here for you. Let it all out. It wasn't your fault, you didn't mean to hurt anyone."

    For a moment, Nasir forgot where he was. He could only feel arms holding him up, giving him strength, and murmuring sweetly in his ear. His body was wracked with sobs, and he clutched tightly to Agron's shipsuit, allowing large, warm, hands to hold him and keep him safe. How long it went out, he did not know, but eventually he stopped crying. He could feel Agron swaying on his feet, but the larger man had never once complained. "Apologies," Nasir choked out. "I don't imagine this is how you envisioned the time we would spend together when you decided to help me get away."

    "That's not important right now. All I care about is that you know things will be different now that you're here with us. With me." Agron smiled at him, and lifted a hand to caress Nasir's cheek, brushing away the last traces of his tears. "How did you come by this scar?" he asked, as his fingers traced the thin, raised, white line beginning just below Nasir's eye and running down his cheek.

    "I... it was..." Nasir stammered. He was not prepared to tell Agron how Ashur had used his zone implant to force him to hold the scalpel against his own skin, and cut. But Agron didn't need Nasir to say the words, he understood that it was Ashur who had hurt him, even though he did not know the complete circumstances. His nostrils flared and his lips pursed into a tight line.

    Before any more could be said, Nasir attempted to change the subject. "You should sleep Agron. I can tell you're drained, and the crew doesn't need their captain passing out on the bridge."

    "I will," Agron answered, following him back to the table. "But first there is something I want to tell you. It's about Lucius, and I know he won't mind me sharing this with you. I just want you to understand what the UMCP is really like, then maybe you won't feel so bad about giving it all up."

    Dread settling in the pit of his stomach, Nasir could only nod. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted to hear this story, but he couldn't say so to Agron. Like a robot, he sat down, and fixed his eyes on the wall in front of him.

    "The UMCP is one of the most corrupt organizations in the history of the human race. There isn't a member of my crew who doesn't have their own reasons for hating the cops, but Lucius has a unique story.

    "See, he was a geneticist before he became an illegal, and a fucking good one too. Worked on top-priority programs at Intertech. One of those was an immunization for genetic mutation. Ever since mankind came into contact with the Amnion, that threat has become real.

    "Think Nasir, what it would mean if such a thing were actually achieved. It would neutralize the Amnion. Their weaponry is not as advanced as ours, and they'd never risk an incursion into human space when they're sure to lose. The only thing they hold over our heads is the threat of genetic warfare. And from everything Lucius tells me, he and his team were close. He told me it was like climbing a ladder and he was about to grab the last rung. But that was as far as he got."

    "Why? What happened?" Nasir asked, though he shuddered to think of what that answer might be.

    "One day he went in to work, and he was locked out of his research. He and his team tried every single computer in the lab, but all of their data was just gone, as if it had never existed. Turns out the system was full of embedded codes, and when those codes were activated, it wiped the project. They were UMCP codes Nasir, and they allowed the UMCP to steal their data and erase the entire project.

    "Have you ever heard even one rumor about an immunization against Amnion genetic mutation? Did anyone at the UMCP ever given you an inkling of hope that we might not have to spend the rest of our lives, of our children's lives, in terror or Forbidden Space and the Amnion? As close as Lucius and his team were, even if the cops had their own scientists secretly continuing that work, they should have been done by now."

    Wide eyed, Nasir sat still in shock, shaking his head back and forth.

    "The UMCP suppressed the discovery, Nasir." Agron's green eyes burned from within as he spoke. "They don't want mankind to know that we don't have to live this way. The Amnion are the reason for their power. Fuck the Gods, Nasir, if humanity had an immunity drug, we wouldn't need the fucking UMCP at all. I mean yeah, I'd be out of a job, because piracy exists mostly to fill Forbidden Space's hunger for all things human, but hell. We'd all be safe, and I don't just mean us aboard this ship. I mean the entire fucking human race."

    Finally, Agron stopped talking. Maybe it was obvious how deeply his words had affected Nasir. Or maybe he'd reached the ends of his limits, and was just too exhausted from lack of sleep and too much g. But he wasn't done. Softly, he said, "As far as anyone on board here is concerned, when compared to the UMCP, we're the good guys." Then Agron stood up, stiffly, and stretched his back. "I'm sorry, little man. I know that can't have been easy to hear, but I thought you should know." He came around the table and laid his hand over Nasir's. The younger man looked up at the face of the man towering above him, and only found kindness and honesty there.

    Bending down, Agron placed a gentle and chaste kiss upon Nasir's lips. The boy froze, and his mind and his heart were at war with one another. His mind was screaming at him not to trust Agron, not to trust anyone. Hadn't Ashur taught him what men were really like. But his heart was urging him to believe in Agron. No one could pretend this well at caring. If all Agron had wanted was to brutalize Nasir, he had already had ample opportunity. Yet he had not done so, and had been nothing but patient, kind, and attentive. He managed a shaky smile instead, and wished Agron good night, and watched as the captain made his way from the galley.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first real mention of the alien race that is a very real threat to mankind, the Amnion. They too will have a major part to play and more will be revealed about them in the the coming chapters. Hope you enjoyed, leave a comment, I love them and promise to answer them all.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agron and Nasir grow closer, but one of the crew members has their own ideas about Nasir.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for violence in the following.

  
  
    Alone in the galley of Captain's Fancy, Nasir sat stunned. If what Agron had said was true, everything he had ever known was a lie. His mother and his father then had both died in the service of a corrupt and monstrous entity. It did not matter how honorable or scrupulous his parents had been, because in reality they had been nothing more than instruments in the hands of a beast. For an hour, he remained seated at the table, the coffee long since grown cold in his hands, and mourned the death of his mother, his father, and his entire belief system.

    When he finally decided to return to his cabin, he realized the enormous problem he was now facing. His black box was still on, and as soon as he moved back within the range of the transmitters, he would begin to go drowsy. Add to that the fact he had put his door on a three second timer, and he might very well pass out in the hallway.

    He berated himself for being so foolish. His disregard for planning had led him to a situation he might not be able to get out of. If he knocked out before getting to the control and switching it off, he would stay asleep until someone found him again. He was stuck - he would have to make the attempt. As he rode the lift one floor up, Nasir vowed never to make such a stupid mistake again. The lift doors opened, and he broke for his cabin at a full run.

    The door was keyed, and he was forced to wait three, agonizing seconds. He pinched himself hard, forcing his eyes to stay open. Staggering to the bed, biting down on his tongue until he tasted blood, he could feel his body beginning to give itself over. Feeling around under the mattress, he located the box and cancelled the controls. Several minutes later he was feeling like himself again, even though he was breathing like he'd just run a marathon.

    Hours later, Nasir was testing out his zone implant control, training himself to be able to reach the correct buttons, experimenting with the intensity levels, when his door chimed. In the knick of time, he switched it off, and stuffed the box into his pocket.Turning to face the door, he was greeted by the sight of Agron striding in, customary grin on his handsome face. He looked rejuvenated, and in good spirits. That was a good sign, and Nasir felt a bit of his anxiety seep away.

    "Scan's still clear. I'm fairly certain we aren't being pursued, so I think we can wait awhile before having to burn again. I want to be sure we're not pushing you too hard." Agron's tone was cheerful and Nasir was going to do everything in his power to make sure it stayed that way. Though it was difficult without the influence of the zone implant, Nasir managed to smile, "Gratitude, you've been so considerate of me."

    Agron's eyes turned soft and pensive. "Nasir," he whispered, "You are the most beautiful man I have ever seen." From his spot on the floor, Nasir turned to pull a pillow from the bed, using his actions as a distraction to key the buttons on his zone implant control, but at a much lower intensity than before. Dropping the pillow next to him, he patted it once.

    "Come and sit by me," he said coyly. Agron looked for a moment like he was struggling to breathe, but nodded once and carefully approached the younger man. Fluidly, he sank to the floor and sat on the pillow. Nasir reached out and took Agron's hand, twining their fingers together. "I want you to know, I am more than grateful to you for helping me get away.. from him." Nasir couldn't bring himself to say Ashur's name.

    Fire blazed once more in the larger man's gaze, and his grip on Nasir's hand tightened. "If I ever see that bastard again, I swear to you, I will make him pay for what he did to you. We don't have to talk about it, I will never force you to say the words, because that would just be like making you relive the horror. You didn't deserve that, Nasir."

    Nasir made a huffing sound, "I killed my father, and my entire crew. Maybe the Gods were punishing me for that."

    "No, don't say that. It wasn't your fault. Believe me, I know what it is to live with the guilt of a loved one's death. I had a brother once, and we were as close as two human beings could ever be. Someday I'll tell you the whole story, but the short version is that the person who killed him told me the blame for Duro's death could be laid at my feet. And for a long time, I believed it. They were dark days for me, and I hated myself for a long time. I don't feel that way anymore. But I still miss him, everyday. Sometimes I think of something, and I want to turn around and share it with him, and then I remember he's gone."

    There were no more words to be said, and Nasir reached out and pulled Agron's head down till it rested on his shoulder. He felt a stirring from somewhere in his chest that had nothing to do with desire or zone implants. This giant of a man, who looked like he could kill a person with his bare hands, had a soft and vulnerable side to him. He had had a family once, a brother. He had loved, and been loved in return. Not because he was the best at anything, not because he was ruthless and daring and successful, but because he was him. Agron might have shared the moniker of illegal with Ashur Thermopyle, but that's where the similarities ended.

    Pressed close to one another, they sat that way for a long time, in silence. Finally, Agron sighed heavily, "I have to go, there are a lot of things that still need to be taken care of, and I can't negelct my duties as captain." He brought their conjoined hands up to his lips, and kissed Nasir's  fingertips gently. "In fifteen minutes, we're going to have to go heavy again, for another four hours. That will take us a considerable distance toward our destination, and then we should be done with heavy g. We'll all have some time to relax. Take care of yourself, Nasir. You and I are going to have a lot of relaxing to do together, if you'd like that."

    "I think I would," Nasir answered, and he was surprised to find out it was true. He did look forward to getting to know this complex, engimatic man, very much. Agron grinned like a schoolboy at Nasir's words, and as he exited the cabin, he did so with a bounce in his step.

    A short time later, Agron's voice came over the com system, warning the crew of sixty seconds till burn. Nasir climbed into his bunk and sealed himself in, then set the timer on his control to four hours and ten minutes. Once he heard the familiar rumble of the ship's thrusters powering up, he activated his implant, hid the control beneath the mattress and drifted off to a sleep filled with dreams of twinkling green eyes and warm, inviting smiles.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
  
    Four hours later, Nasir woke, pleased he had averted another crisis. His body ached though, and his joints were stiff. In short he felt like an arthritic old man. Still, he felt relief and hope for the first time in months.

    The crew of Captain's Fancy were also experiencing their own kind of relief. It would appear that they were safe. Capua Station security had declined to pursue them. They had also begun to veer off from any course that Capua could have projected for them, so it was extermely unlikely they'd be found now anyway.

    In celebration of Nasir's rescue from the hands of Captain Ashur Thermo-pile, Agron decided to throw a party for his people. He broke open the stores and the food and alcohol flowed freely. For nearly 72 hours straight, the entire crew was in some state of inebriation, or overindulgence. Nasir and Agron though spent much of that time in the younger man's cabin, and even though Nasir still utilized the functions of his zone implant, he was becoming increasingly conflicted. He was comfortable with Agron, and felt safe in his company, but if Agron decided to take things to the next level, he knew he wasn't ready for that. The memory of Ashur's hands hurting him was still too new.

    Mostly they spent their time talking, Agron telling stories of himself and his brother, Duro, as children. Nasir was seeing a side to Agron that he was sure other people could never even guess at. He wished he had stories to share as well, but Nasir was an only child. He had spent much of his youth growing up alone, in his grandparents mansion while his mother and father were off on missions.

    At the end of the third day however, there was a new problem Agron and his crew were facing. They weren't used to long voyages like this one. Without a working gap drive, a trip that usually would take a few days was now going to take several weeks. Now everyone on board had to think of some way to pass that time.

    Occasionally, fights broke out in the hallways or in the galley. At odd times, curses and obscenities could be heard over the com system when someone forgot to turn it off. Everyday, the crew looked more surly and more disgruntled. Just at the end of the second week, Lucius came to Agron and Nasir as they were huddled together in the galley. "I think it's about that time, Agron."

    Agron just grinned and waved him away, never taking his eyes from Nasir's face. "Soon, Lucius," was all he said. Lucius simply shrugged and chuckled as he walked away, never had he seen Agron so taken. It was obvious, their captain had fallen, and hard.

    A few days after that, Mira took the risk of coming to Nasir's cabin. She entered with a bruise blooming on her cheek, and her knuckles swollen and bloodied. "This has gone on long enough, Agron. That oversexed gash you've got as data three clubbed me with her communicator today! She actually accused me of stealing Gnaeus away from her! Me! What the fuck would I want with that shithead's attention? You'd know what was going on out there if you didn't spend every minute of your free time in here with -"

    "All right!" Agron interrupted. "If you know what's good for you, you won't finish that thought. Round them up, I don't give a shit if you have to use a stun prod to get them together. You've got an hour." Mira didn't even bother to reply, but swept from the room in a huff.

    Once the crew was assembled, Agron broached the subject of their attitudes and actions as though it were all a hilarious inside joke. Then he dropped the hammer and ordered a total overhaul of every part of the ship it was possibe to work on outside of a shipyard. "I imagine it's going to take you at least a couple of weeks, so I suggest you get your asses moving." There was some grumbling, but even the most stubborn of crew members knew Agron wasn't fucking around.

    From then on out, Agron and Nasir had even more time to spend together. As the days went on, the two of them became even more accustomed to each other, and there were days when the captain hardly left Nasir's quarters. At times, the younger man sensed a need in Agron so deep that it was virtually bottomless. It showed in everything he did, from the way he looked at Nasir, to the way he spoke to him. So far they had shared nothing more than innocent kisses, but beneath that, Nasir could feel Agron's desire for him boiling just below the surface. And Agron had come to the conclusion that he had somehow been searching for this beautiful, brave, boy all his life. He had never been the kind of man to believe in love. He had seen what the illusion of love had done to Duro, and Agron had wanted no part of it. To allow someone to have that much power over him would be madness, he had believed. Now though, he understood. Nasir meant more to him than his ship, than his own life.

    Having gained Agron's trust and, though he still did not know it, his heart, Nasir was allowed to go anywhere, look anywhere. Agron took his turn in the captain's chair from 0800 hours to 1600 hours, and during those eight hours, Nasir took advantage of his freedom. As long as he was back in his cabin to meet Agron, there would be no worries. At first he had resented it, but four weeks into their voyage, and he was enjoying their time alone. He wasn't sure when it had happened, but at some point he had stopped using his zone implant control whenever Agron came to see him, and he even kissed Agron and held his hand without fear, but instead with eagerness.

    The only drawback Nasir could see to his newfound freedom was Gnaeus Vorbuld. In the last week, he had cornered Nasir no less than four times. On the first occasion, they passed each other in the hallway leading to the galley, and the brute repeated the caress he had given to Nasir's hair. The second time, he managed to run his hand down the younger man's arm, and try to catch at his fingertips before the lift door had opened and Nasir had bolted from it and run straight into Mira. The third time, he found Nasir alone in the galley and he squeezed his ass with both hands so hard that it hurt him for an hour afterwards. A day later, Gnaeus was waiting in the hall outside Nasir's cabin. He caught hold of him, pushed him up against the door and locked his lips on him like he was one of those facehuggers from that old classic science fiction film Alien. Only by raising his leg and hooking it around, then driving his heel hard into the back of the bastard's knee was Nasir able to get away, and lock himself in his cabin till he was sure the fucker was gone.

    He knew he could have solved this all easily by telling Agron what was happening, but that would be admitting defeat. Agron had called him brave on numerous occasions, and Nasir was determined to live up to that. He had taken the self defense courses in the academy and he knew how to defend himself. Of course an impact rifle or a stun prod would go a long way towards helping, but he didn't have one. And if he asked Agron for one, the big man would want to know why.

    The altercation came a few days later, when Nasir was in the galley getting himself a cup of coffee. Gnaeus walked in and stared at Nasir. "I want you," he stated matter-of-factly.

    "Well, tough," Nasir retorted. "I don't want you."

    "I think you do. You don't care who gives it you. You may think you do, but you really don't. Agron's too soft on you. If you were mine, I'd show you what a man like me can do."

    The words burrowed into Nasir's brain, like acid eating through everything until only his hatred and anger were left. "I already know what a man like you is capable of. I swore to myself that the next man who tries something like that again is going to end up dead," he spat.

    "You're going to do what I want, boy. Because what your precious Agron doesn't know is that I put a virus into his computers the day he brought me on board. Usually it's on a hold, but right now, it ain't. Anybody tries to get into the system without me is gonna trigger a total wipe." Gnaeus was sneering at him, thinking he'd already won.

    Right then, Nasir didn't care about the ship or the crew. All he could see was Ashur, trying to hurt him again. When Gnaeus grabbed for him, Nasir let out a feral hiss, and hurled the contents of his mug into the other man's eyes. Gnaeus howled as the liquid scalded his face. Then Nasir raised his mug high above his head, and brought it down hard across the bridge of his nose. Hot blood splattered against his cheek, and he tried to slip past Gnaeus. But the huge man was faster than he looked. He grabbed Nasir by the wrist and managed to spin him around, slamming him face first into the cabinets.

    Nasir felt hands on the collar of his shipsuit, and then he was being lifted into the air and was thrown into the hallway. People must have heard the commotion because there was a crowd already gathered there, yelling and hollering. Nasir was scrabbling on his hands and knees, trying to regain his footing, but then Gnaeus weight was on top of him, and rough hands were tearing at the fabric of his clothing. Suddenly it became eerily silent, except for the grunting sounds Gnaeus made and the curses and struggling noises coming from himself. Nasir had thought he was just blocking out all other sounds, but then a voice rang out, tinged with barely controlled rage.

    "Clear a space," Agron growled out. "I'm going to need some room." His scars livid, he fixed his murderous stare on the scene before him. "Oh, Gnaeus, you've made a big fucking mistake. In fact, I think it's the last mistake you'll ever make in your miserable fucking existence."  
  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be up Monday, hope you're enjoying.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agron exacts vengeance, while Nasir has an epiphany about his feelings. Warnings for violence, and sexual content in the following.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For boriqua522, who called for blood & sexy times - here's a little of both for you.

  
  
    Gnaeus Vorbuld froze for a second, before rolling over and off of Nasir, who struggled to catch his breath and push himself to his knees. He sneaked a glance at Agron, who looked down at them like a god of vengeance. "He hurt you," Agron commented to Gnaeus. "That's good. Back to the galley, now, and wash the blood out of your eyes. Then we can talk about what happens next."

    "Agron, wait -" Gnaeus began, his voice loaded with panic. Lugo, the scan one, stepped forward, cracking his knuckles and Gnaeus got to his feet. As the two men moved away, someone bent down to help Nasir, but he pushed them off, and stood on his own. When he looked at the person who had offered assistance, he saw that it was a young boy, younger than him even, with dark hair and dark brown eyes, eyes that he had seen the twin-set of in someone else's face.

    "Pup, get away from him. Let him struggle if he wants to," Mira barked at the kid, who immediately stepped back, looking embarrassed as hell.

    Agron addressed Nasir, "How bad is it?" he asked in a concerned voice.

    "Give me a gun. I'll kill him myself," Nasir replied, even though he was having to hold onto the wall to remain upright. Agron just chuckled, and winked at his little man, following Lugo and Gnaeus into the galley. The tables and chairs in the mess had been moved off to the side, leaving the center wide open. There must not have been a single person left on the bridge, because gathered here were faces Nasir had never seen before. Agron sauntered to the middle of the room, and waited for his data one to join him.

    "Gnaeus," he called out. "Looks like you've caused me a serious problem."

    "No, I haven't," Gnaeus answered, his voice full of false bravado. "If you want that little bastard all for yourself, you shouldn't let him roam around wherever the fuck he wants. I knew the little shit would cause trouble!"

    "You mistake me, Gnaeus. I'm not talking about Nasir. I'm talking about you. You're the best I've ever known with computers. Now where the hell am I going to find someone good enough to replace you?"

    "What the fuck are you talking about, Agron? You don't have to replace me," answered the big man.

    "You should know better than that. You know the rules, you've been with me long enough. It's time to say goodbye, Gnaeus." Agron was grinning his wolf's grin again, his teeth bared like he might rip Gnaeus throat out with them.

    "Even if you beat me, which I don't think you can do, you'll be a dead man," Gnaeus sputtered in desperation.

     In answer, Agron threw back his head and roared laughter. He was still laughing as he lifted his long leg and kicked Gnaeus in the temple. Gnaeus was fast though, and he outweighed Agron by at least twenty kilos. He aimed a punch at Agron that had enough power behind it to stop a freight train. Throwing up a block, Agron landed three quick body blows, before dancing away .

    Shaking his head, Gnaeus unsealed his shipsuit, and pulled a long dagger with a wicked looking, black blade from within. Agron was laughing again. "Blades are against the rules, you know. Besides, do you think a little pig-sticker like that is supposed to scare me?"

    Deadly fast, Agron kicked out once more, and Gnaeus was ready. Except this time the kick was a feint, and when Gnaeus tried to slash Agron's leg, he hooked his kick back around and knocked the knife from the larger man's hand.

    " Bastard!" Gnaeus yelled, and surged forward, pressing the attack. For a minute, it actually looked like he had the captain on the defensive. Agron was blocking, ducking and bobbing to avoid the blows. Gnaeus landed one punch, a second, and then a third that rocked Agron's head back.

    Nasir stood watching the fight helplessly, his heart hammering in his chest. Agron was being knocked around right in front of him, and Nasir could do nothing to stop it. Gnaeus was pushing harder, one well aimed punch and he might kill the man who held his heart.

    "Agron!" Nasir wailed, and all the feelings he had been denying came bubbling to the surface with the cry of his love's name.

    As if that were the cue he had been waiting for, Agron brought up his knee and drove it into Gnaeus' groin. The man staggered backwards and fell to his knees. Like lightning, Agron reached down and put his left hand on the back of Gnaeus' thick neck, and punched him in the face with his right, sending blood spraying. Over and over again he hit him, never relinquishing the hold he had on him. Gnaeus' eyes glazed over, and his mouth hung open, spilling blood onto the floor. His face was a mess, his nose broken and his jaw looked as though it had come unhinged.

    Throwing him to the ground Agron walked over and picked up the knife. He dropped down, placing one knee on his opponent's chest. Agron's face was contorted in fury, his normally handsome features now looking frightening and deadly.

    "Agron, stop!" Nasir shouted. "You can't kill him. He says he planted a virus in the system, that he's the only one who can stop it. If he's not around to make it stay dormant, it'll trigger a complete wipe." The words hung thick in the air. Mira's eyes turned into angry slits, Lucius went pale, Saxa began cursing loudly, and the one they called Pup sank to floor with his back against the wall.

    Agron dropped his arm, and spat at Gnaeus, "Is that fucking true?"

    With the last of his remaining strength, Gnaeus nodded. Unexpectedly, Agron began to laugh again, and the sound promised death. "Gnaeus, you fucking shit. There is no doubt about it, you've found a way to piss me the fuck off!" Without warning he stood, drew back his leg, and kicked Gnaeus in the head so hard, everyone in the room heard his neck break. He threw the knife down, the point sticking in the floor, and marched from the room without a backward glance.

    Mira drew close to Nasir, and for the first time, she didn't look at him like he was the enemy. "I hope you learned something about computers in the academy," she muttered to him. "If what Gnaeus told you is true, I'm guessing it will be up to me and you to keep Agron from going crazy over this." Turning to the crowd of people, she began speaking loud enough for them all to hear. "All right, people. Show's over. We've got a lot of work to do."

    "What work?" The woman who spoke was an artificial blond wearing a too tight shipsuit. "I don't know how to cure a computer virus, only Gnaeus knew that. And thanks to him," she pointed at Nasir, "he's dead. Why don't you put him to work?"

    "Fine, Licinia. How about I give MornHyl your job? And if you think Gnaeus has Agron beat with this, then you be the one to tell him. Have any of you ever seen Agron beaten?" Mira's voice cracked, and her stoney glare challenged anyone to contradict her. No one did. She took a steadying breath and addressed the crew once more. "There is a lot of work to get done. I want all ones on the bridge. Pietros, that means you now. Consider this your promotion to data one. Licinia, I guess that makes you data two, unless you're still interested in giving MornHyl your position."

    Pietros was a young man only slightly older than Nasir himself, whose reaction to his sudden elevation was an obvious desire for the ground to swallow him whole. Nasir tried to give an encouraging smile to the man, but with his face all busted up this way, it probably looked more like a death rictus.

    "Now, people, get moving!" Mira barked at the assembled crowd. After the last person had filed out, she turned on Nasir like a viper. "This is your fault! Gods dammit! What do you do your thinking with? Why didn't you take this to Agron before it got this bad? If we'd had some warning, it might not have had to go down this way!"

    Nasir shrugged his shoulders. He didn't want to have to justify himself to Agron's second, but somehow he felt things would be better for him if he could find some way to make peace with Mira. He'd much rather have her as an ally than an enemy.

    "How many times have you been raped?" he asked stiffly.

    Mira's mouth snapped shut, and her eyes went blank.     

    Nasir continued. "After awhile, you hurt so much that you don't want to be rescued anymore. What you want is to disembowel that bastard yourself. You need to try, because if you don't at least try, you'll end up killing yourself. I never got the chance... before... because Agron was there. This time, I think I just wanted to prove something to myself."

    When Mira finally opened her mouth, her tone was soft and considerate. "Get yourself to medbay, do something for the bruises. Maybe if you feel better, you'll be able to help us come up with some kind of solution to the situation we're in."

    Moving like an automaton, Nasir left Mira alone with Gnaeus' body, and made his way down the hall to medbay. He lay down on the table, and let the system identify his wounds and treat them. Pain meds were injected into his body, and immediately he felt relief. He was so distraced by that, he almost forgot to go back into the system and expunge his exam findings. At the last moment, he remembered, and made the correct elisions, effectively concealing the knowledge of his zone implant. Without warning, he began to weep. He hated lying to Agron this way, especially now that he had admitted his feelings to himself.

    The love he felt for Agron was more powerful than any hurt or damage Ashur could have done to him. He had thought himself broken beyond repair, but it turned out that he was actually more whole than he had been before his ordeal.  He'd had a boyfriend or two before, when he was in the academy, but he hadn't loved them. Now, his heart belonged to Agron, but their relationship was based on a lie. How could Nasir tell the love of his life that he had needed the aid of a zone implant control to be able to bear his touch in the beginning?

    Sadly he made his way back to his cabin, and wasn't in the least bit surprised to see Agron leaning against the wall there. His left eye was badly bruised and swollen shut, and there was some dried blood at the corner of his nose. Still though, he looked as handsome as ever, and when he looked at Nasir through his one good eye, all the fears and doubts slipped away from both men.

    Pressing the buttons on the keypad to unlock his door, Nasir stepped into the cabin first, Agron following behind, a bottle of whiskey in his hand. Once they were both inside, Agron sank down on the edge of Nasir's mattress. He pulled two shot glasses from his pocket and set them on the endtable, then filled them with the liquid. Nasir moved to stand in front of Agron, taking the drink when offered it. They both threw the whiskey back, and it burned their throats as it went down, but in a good way.

    Agron set his glass back on the table, and stood. He towered over Nasir, who raised his eyes to look at the man who had just killed for him. Their fingertips brushed as Agron took the glass from Nasir and set it down beside his own, then lifted his hand to cup Nasir's cheek. The smaller man leaned into the touch, never wanting the contact to end. Agron bent to press their foreheads together, and for a moment they just stood there, eyes closed, breathing into one another.

    Slowly, their mouths inched closer, until their lips were touching softly. It began gently at first, but then Agron's tongue flicked over Nasir's bottom lip, and ignited a fire in the younger man that spread from his lips to his very toes. Nasir opened his mouth to accept Agron's warm, probing tongue, and when he did, it was like a damn in him broke. A moan escaped him, and he raised his hands to Agron's strong, broad shoulders, ran them down his muscular arms. He slid them around Agron's trim waist, reveling in the feel of the muscles of the taller man's back.

    Nasir felt Agron's body shudder, and it was only then he realized he had pressed his love back onto the bed, and that he was now laying on top of him. He began tugging at Agron's shipsuit, needing that skin to skin contact, and feeling as though he might die if he didn't get it. Joining in the action, Agron divested he and Nasir their clothing in a flash. He moved his mouth to Nasir's neck, and licked the flesh there, feeling the thrum of his pulse beneath his tongue. He nipped at the tender skin playfully, gently, pulling a whine from Nasir.

    Pressed flesh to flesh, Nasir's hands roamed over Agron's body, his chest, his hips, his thighs. Their hardening cocks rubbed against each other, both of them leaking, their essences mingling. "I want you inside of me, Agron," Nasir breathed into his lover's ear.

    At the sound of that, Agron's hips bucked involuntarily. "Are you sure, Nasir? If you're not ready-"

    "I'm ready, I know what I want, and it's you." Nasir nibbled on Agron's earlobe, causing the man to growl in lust. He reached over and opened the drawer beside the bed, pulling from it a small bottle of lube. Nasir snatched it away from him, popping the cap, and pouring some onto his fingers, then tossing it aside. Reaching behind himself, he kept his eyes fixed on Agron, who lay there with his mouth slightly open, holding his breath.

    "Oh fuck, Nasir," he gasped as his young love brought his mouth down on Agron's hard cock, licking the head wantonly while his fingers moved in and out of his own body, stretching himself in preparation for what was to come. Agron moaned loudly, trying to keep himself under control. He thought he might lose it any second when he felt Nasir's fingers rubbing  up and down his shaft, slicking him fully.

    And then Nasir was bringing himself down onto Agron's cock, agonizingly slowly, his body clenching and unclenching around Agron's impossible thickness. The larger man dug blunt fingernails into Nasir's thighs, raking them down and leaving red marks in their wake. Nasir flexed his hips, working Agron deeper until he was finally fully sheathed. For a moment, neither man moved, Nasir's body adjusting to the hardness impaling him.

    Then Nasir began to move above him, rocking his hips back and forth. Agron kept his hands around Nasir's waist, guiding his movements, thrusting up into his heat . Nasir braced himself on Agron's chest,  his thighs tight around Agron's body. Closing his hand on Nasir's weeping cock, Agron began to work it, his thumb sliding over the hole, and his fist pumping in time with his own thrusts.

    The sounds he wrenched from Nasir only served to spur him on. Agron wished it could last forever, but the sensations were too overwhelming. Both of them hurtled toward the edge of an invisible cliff, panting and growling and moving together. Nasir tumbled over the precipice first, crying out Agron's name loudly, his cock spurting hot, sticky, fluid all over Agron's fingers and his stomach. Looking up at his little man, Agron was graced with a glorious sight. Raven locks tumbled around his face, framing it perfectly. His eyes were closed and he was biting his full, bottom lip. He was beauty personified, and he sent Agron crashing over the edge with him. Load moans rent the air, and his hips jerked. His cock pumped his release into Nasir's willing heat, and they were both lost in their bliss.

    Not daring to move and break the moment, their gazes locked. Breathing heavily, Nasir reluctantly moved off Agron, and collapsed beside him on the bed.

    "I don't know what this means to you Nasir, but I want you to know that my heart will never beat for another. I didn't think love existed, or if it did, that it wasn't meant for me. You've changed all that, and now, I can't imagine my life without you in it. If Gnaeus had hurt you, I would have ripped his balls off and made him eat them before killing him."

    "Shhh," Nasir chided. "Don't think about him anymore, no more bad thoughts. You hold my heart now, and that's all that matters. After what happened, what I went through, I felt like nobody could ever really care about me, much less love me. I'm so glad I was wrong." Nasir leaned over and kissed Agron on the lips once more, then tugged on his arm, wanting to get beneath the covers with him.

    Agron chuckled, and moved up the bed toward the headboard. He lay back against the pillows and pulled Nasir's head down to rest against his chest. Fingers twirled around dark tresses absently, and before long he felt Nasir's breathing slow. Agron smiled to himself, and let his good eye drift closed, feeling pride in the fact that Nasir trusted him enough to sleep in his arms. His last thought before giving in to his exhaustion was that he had finally found his home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since it's the Labor Day weekend, I found myself with some extra time, next chapter will be up in a day or so. Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys learn to trust each other.

  
  
    Hours later, Nasir woke up in bed alone. He was disappointed not to find Agron beside him, but he realized it was probably his love's shift in the captain's chair. Smiling to himself, he jumped out of bed and headed for the shower. He took an extra long time getting ready, tying his hair back into a ponytail, and selecting another shipsuit from the closet. Now that he and Agron were officially together, all he wanted to do was see him once more, so that he could prove it wasn't all a beautiful dream. Briefly he wondered at the wiseness of showing up on the bridge, but he didn't think Agron would mind, and he honestly couldn't care less what the rest of the crew thought about it.  
  
    Agron was there, in his command seat, his fingers drumming on the armrests. When Nasir crossed the room to stand  next to him, Agron flashed him a  brilliant smile. It wasn't just the nearness of his lover that had him so excited. Agron was in his element, inflamed by the challenge of saving Captain's Fancy. "I knew you'd come," Agron murmured so that only  Nasir could hear. "I waited for you, we're about to get started."  
  
    "Status,"Agron commanded in a tone that said he was clearly having the time of his life.  
  
    "Scan checks out fine, we're all clear," piped up a small, nervous looking woman.  
  
    "Comm's the same," Lugo hollered out in his heavily accented voice. "Nothing to hear but particle noise. But if there was something out there, we'd pick it up."  
  
    "No difference with targ and weapons," yawned Saxa, clearly disinterested.  
  
    Hunched over his board, Pietros began his report. "I'm running a diagnostic, but so far the debug programs aren't picking anything up."  
  
    "Well, of course they wouldn't," Agron sneered. "Gnaeus knew our capabilities. He wouldn't make it that easy for us."  
  
    The man sitting at the helm station said apprehensively, "Helm checks out too, all systems green. Except the gap drive, of course."  
  
    Grinning widely, Agron turned to face Nasir. "So, any suggestions little man?"  
  
    Slowly, Nasir pulled memories from the far reaches of his brain. "We were taught to do two things for a computer virus in the Academy. Isolate the systems, meaning disconnect them from one another, and then call IT."  
  
    Agron snickered loudly. "Did you hear that Lugo? You're communications, why don't you call IT?"  
  
    "No answer," Lugo joked back. "Maybe they on lunch break."  
  
    Agron spread his arms and swung back towards his crew. "You all heard the man. Isolate the systems." As his people hurried to carry out his orders, he started talking out loud. "You know, this virus is really the least of my concerns right now. The thing that's giving me a real headache is the fact that we are currently flat broke. Where we're headed, they don't do work on spec.The guy who runs the place is Quint Batiatus, but everybody calls him "The Bill" cause he always gets paid. Right now, we can afford to pay his docking fee, but we can't afford to have our gap drive fixed, much less get a virus flushed from the system."  
  
    Dumbfounded, Nasir faced Agron squarely. "What's the point then? Why are we doing all this if we can't afford repairs in any case?"  
  
    Speaking distractedly, Agron continued. "I may be out of money, but I've got something I can sell. You're UMCP, hell, you're valuable enough to buy me a whole new ship if I wanted."  
  
    Nasir blanched, and he felt his knees go weak. He was forced to brace himself on the back of Agron's seat. Agron was planning on selling him? Had it all been nothing more than a lie? For the second time in the last twenty four hours, Nasir burst into tears. His breath was coming in ragged hitches, and he could hear laughter all around him, but he didn't care. How could Agron use him this way, make him believe he loved him, and then cast him aside?  
  
    Suddenly Agron turned to look at Nasir with a haunted and pained expression on his face. "Fuck the Gods Nasir, I didn't mean you." His voice was unsteady and full of self-recrimination. "I meant your information, your i.d. tag, all those access and security codes. That's what I need to sell, that's the price we have to pay to save our ship." He stood then and cupped Nasir's face in his large hands. "You're with me now, love. You don't work for the cops anymore. I need you to do this for us, so we can get our ship back. Bu if you don't want to, I'll understand. I will never ask for more than you are willing to give me."  
  
    For a moment, Nasir's grief felt so intense, he didn't think he'd be able to push it down. With an effort, he nodded. "Just get us there, I'll do my part." It was a promise, one that he would keep. The UMCP meant nothing to him anymore, Agron was everything.  
  
    Their lips met softly, and then Agron sat once more in his command seat, working to remain calm while he addressed his crew. "And the next time any of you shitheads feels like laughing at him, remember, you're laughing at me, too." Nasir stopped sniffling, and smiled to himself. How could he have thought Agron would betray him?  
  
    A minute later Mira came onto the bridge, and came to stand on the other side of Agron's chair. Meeting Nasir's eyes, she asked gently, "Feeling better?" Nasir nodded, and smiled again. Mira placed her hand on his shoulder briefly. "It shows," she remarked, before turning her attention to her captain. "We're ready, Agron."  
  
    With a nod of his head, Agron leaned forward in his captain's chair. "All right, here goes. The faster we can locate the virus, the more time we'll have to try and fix it. Life support systems run from the auxiliary bridge, which can function independent of everything else, so if we run into any problems, we'll have to reset those functions from there. If we're wiped, though, it means we'll lose any soft data, like the last of our credits. So here's the plan. I'll go first, and if my board stays running, we can start reconnecting systems one by one, until we hit a snag. Any questions?"  
  
    Everyone sat in silence, and waited, and no one asked the question on all their minds. What would happen if Agron's board went down? Mira and Nasir stood on either side of Agron, their hands gripping the armrests, mirroring each other without realizing it. With a few swift keystrokes, Agron set some commands on his console, and then the ship was plunged into darkness as black as space itself. Nasir opened his mouth in a silent scream, trapped in a nightmare. He could feel his body rising into the air as internal gravity dissipated.  
  
    The sound of Mira fumbling with her hand com was all they could hear, and then her voice. "Laeta! Laeta! Corregio, Gods dammit! Reset maintenance, we need light, and g!" Laeta Corregio was command three, and Mira had obviously left her in charge on the auxiliary bridge. Lights flickered, and then blazed to life throughout the ship. Nasir dropped to the floor like a stone as gravity was restored.  
  
    "Status," Agron shouted at his people.  
  
    "Shit," Saxa yelled out. "I've lost targ and weapons, I can't even call up simulations." The rest of the crew began nodding in agreement with her, but no one else spoke - they were too scared.  
  
    "Let's try reconnecting the systems," Agron began but didn't get to finish, because Mira interrupted him.  
  
    "I don't think we need to be in a hurry about this. We could make it worse and totally fuck the system. Then we'd be finished."  
  
    The look on Agron's face was one of pure rage, and he looked ready to erupt on Mira. His teeth flashed dangerously, and his scars darkened. "He doesn't think we're finished," Agron spat, shifting his gaze to Nasir who stood there shaking his head back and forth absently. The young man couldn't understand why they were all so terrified. Someone was speaking to him, but he hadn't heard them.  
  
    "Nasir! I asked why?" Agron repeated himself. "They all look like it's the end of the world, but you just keep shaking your head. Why?"  
  
    "Apologies, but you keep bringing up the fact that I'm UMCP... I mean, I may not know shit about curing a virus, but I know you don't need to worry about a wipe."  
  
    Mira rolled her eyes at him disgustedly. "Have you lost your fucking mind? All of our data is gone!"  
  
    "No, it's not,'' he repeated as he shook his head once more.  
  
    For a span of about three heartbeats, all eyes on the bridge looked at him like he had suddenly mutated into an Amnion. Then Agron's eyes lit up, and he smiled like the sun peeking from behind grey clouds. "Because you're UMCP!" he shouted as he stood and lifted Nasir off his feet, kissing him passionately right there in front of everyone.  
  
    Laughing as he was set back down, Nasir explained to everyone else who hadn't gotten it yet. "With my clearance, I can access the datacore. Every piece of data you ever had is still there. It's hard memory, can't be erased, remember?" He was smiling from ear to ear, overjoyed to have been able to do this for Agron.  
  
    "Brilliant," breathed a very relieved Pietros. Nervous laughter could be heard all around.  
  
    Ever the skeptic, however, Mira rounded on the pair of lovers. "Hold on, guys. What about that virus? And what about the medbay? Medbay systems aren't backed up through the datacore, patient confidentiality and all that crap."  
  
    "Unfortunately, the virus is going to come back along with everything else. I mean, it has to be written into the datacore. And as for medbay, well, I recommend everybody take good care of themselves until we get to where we're going," Nasir quipped.  
  
    Rubbing his hands together, Agron laughed again. "Who gives a fuck about this virus? Let Batiatus' people flush it out. We can leave internal systems like g and life support on automatic. I can do algorithms in my head, so I can plan what we need to do, then cut the computers out of the loop by entering  commands manually, instead of through our main boards." Sweeping his arm wide, he gestured to Nasir. "Pietros, get up, give him your console, he knows what to do.  
  
    While Nasir worked, Mira whispered to Agron, still not completely convinced. "Are you sure you trust him, Agron? He's  a fucking cop."  
  
    "Yes, with my life," he responded without hesitation.  
  
    Half an hour later, Nasir was finished, and he stood up from the chair. "It should take a few more hours for the restore to complete, but you should be able to get back to work soon," he said, as he smiled at Pietros, who looked up at him gratefully. Pietros gave him a friendly nod, and Nasir thought he might just have made a new friend. Still smiling, he turned to face Agron. Riding the moment, he risked another gamble. "Agron, I want to work. You're short handed now, let me be data three, please. I've got a lot of the right training already, and the rest I can learn on the job." What he was really saying was -Trust me.-  
  
    Agron's grin deepened, and he gave a low bow. His tone was a mixture of passion, lust, pride, and playfulness. "As you wish."  
  
    Playing the game right back, Nasir gave Agron a crisp, little salute. "Captain Niklaus, permission to leave the bridge."  
  
    "Permission granted," he replied, in a tone that spoke of the promise of all the things to come. Nasir's pulse quickened and he felt his cheeks grow hot. Certain that everyone on the bridge could feel the tension in the air, he crossed the command center swiftly, and made his way to his cabin to wait for his handsome captain.  
   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting to some meaty parts real soon here. Just because things are good now doesn't mean there aren't still problems ahead, so strap yourselves in to your g seats, because it's about to take off :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nasir's life suddenly becomes very busy, and he struggles to maintain a balance between his relationship with Agron, the demands of his new job, and the resolution he has made to rid Captain's Fancy of it's computer virus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for sexual content in the following - enjoy :)

  
  
    Even though Captain's Fancy was far from Earth, she still kept to a twenty four hour day. Third shift took place during what would be considered overnight, and Nasir was more than ready to begin work. His hands had been idle too long, and he wanted to prove he belonged on this ship, and not just because he was Agron's lover. Laeta Corregio, the command three, was a small woman with fair skin, and a pretty, round face with soft features. Her eyes were a deep, bright, blue, and her long hair fell in loose red curls around her face. She may not have been tough as nails, like Mira, but Nasir learned right away that she was deceptively competent. Agron had told Nasir part of her story that afternoon.

    Her husband had been a UMCP operative, in Data Acquisition, and had been on undercover assignment with a band of illegals. When his cover had been blown, the ringleader of the group had sent a message to DA, stating they'd release Corregio if their demands were met.  But the DA Director, Gannicus Lebwohl, had elected not to respond, instead calling their bluff. Turns out the guy wasn't bluffing and Laeta's husband paid the price with his life. How she went from being a cop's widow to an illegal command three was not something she shared with many people, but Nasir liked her immediately, and he hoped one day she'd take him into her confidence.

    Despite Laeta's competence, however, third shift was in serious trouble. Her crew was the weakest of all, and the fact that she was able to get such a group of individuals to function as a team was an impressive feat in Nasir's eyes. None of the crew besides Laeta and Nasir himself had any clue how to operate their stations manually, and their task for a week or so after Nasir joined the team was to teach all the threes how to run the system without triggering another wipe.

    The whole exercise went to shit from the beginning. On the second day, the drunk installed at the scan station still managed to erase all their data, even after Nasir had entered all his commands for him. Luckily for them all, Lucius had been on the auxiliary bridge and had initiated a prompt reset. After that Agron had to make sure there was always someone on duty there, in case something like that happened again. It did.

    A day or so later, the targ three inadvertently set off a round of matter cannon fire that scorched a 10 meter wide strip of the hull before Laeta could get things under control. It cost the crew a week in EVA suits working to repair to several blown scan sensors.

    The last straw was when Licinia, the new data two, neglected to deactivate her console before entering her latest set of commands, triggering yet another complete wipe. Mira was furious, she couldn't tolerate stupidity in her crew, and demoted Licinia to data three in favor of Nasir. Laeta could do nothing except sigh in resignation, and say goodbye to the only crew member she had ever been pleased to work with. Nasir was sorry to be leaving her watch, but at the same time he was excited about the prospect of getting closer to Mira, and hopefully gaining her trust and friendship.

    A few days into his new job, Nasir looked up to see Mira standing by his station, looking umcomfortable and shifting from foot to foot. He raised an eyebrow at her, and she frowned in return. Exhaling loudly, she began to speak. "Look, I don't say this often, so listen up, cause I won't say it again. I'm sorry. I was wrong about you. I thought you were only going to cause problems, and hurt Agron in the process. And while it's true that all this crap with Gnaeus is your fault, I see you trying to make things better. You agreed to let Agron sell your UMCP secrets without a second thought, and you've helped us out of our immediate problems with the virus when you could have just kept quiet."

    There was a pause before she went on grudgingly, "Plus, I have to admit that you're good for him. I've seen Agron angry, and I thought I'd seen him happy. Guess I was wrong though, cause I've never seen him look as happy as he does with you."

    "Thanks," said Nasir, feeling a lump in his throat for some strange reason. He knew how much it must be costing Mira to say this.

    "I'm sure you've already guessed, but I joined Agron's crew because I fell in love with him. It was his charm, and his attitude, and fuck if he doesn't look hot in that snug, black, shipsuit. But he didn't feel the same way about me. I didn't know then, that he wasn't into girls. He kept coming to see me everyday at that bar I worked at on Vesuvius Industrial, and I thought it was because he wanted me. And he did, just not the way I thought. He wanted me on his ship, cause he saw something in me. Of course after I found out his need for me was only as a second, I set my sights on becoming the only second he'd ever need. It took me a long time to get over him, and part of me will always love him, and that's why it was so hard to see the way he reacted to you."

    Shocked that Mira was admitting all this to him, Nasir could only stare at her through his wide, brown eyes. Finally, he managed to mumble out, "I love him, too, Mira. And I can promise you, I don't want to take your place on this ship. But I'm not going anywhere either."

    Agron's second nodded her head sadly, "Yeah, that's what I figured. I want us to be on the same team, even if we may never really be friends."

    Feeling as though a weight had been lifted, the rest of his shift passed quickly. Once it was over, Nasir practically raced back to his cabin, feeling better about himself and his future than he had in ages. In the bathroom, he was combing out his long hair when the door chime again announced Agron's arrival. He threw the brush down, and darted to the door, ready to throw himself into Agron's arms.

    The look on the man's face though was unreadable, and Nasir wondered if something else had gone wrong in the short time he had been off the bridge. "Why do you do that," Agron blurted out. "Make me wait three seconds before opening your door."

    "Apologies," Nasir stammered. "I just wouldn't want you to catch me doing anything... ungraceful," he finished. Now that he thought about it, he didn't need the delay on the door any longer. He hadn't used his zone implant in so long - the box had remained hidden under the mattress for weeks now. "Is that all that's bothering you, my love?" he asked, hoping Agron wasn't angry at him.

    "Nothing is bothering me anymore, not now that I'm here with you," answered the older man, and then, they fell into one another's arms. Hours later, after their mad lovemaking had left them both sated, Nasir questioned Agron once more. The captain admitted he was growing weary of the problems Gnaeus' computer virus was causing. "We could get to where we were going so much faster if we didn't have to keep initiating a datacore playback everytime one of these assholes decides to fuck up my whole universe by not doing their job right." Agron sighed heavily, knowing he didn't have any other options, however.

    Nasir though, lay awake long after the other man had fallen asleep. He wondered if there was any way he could fix things. In what he had come to think of as his other life, one of his boyfriends had been an IT officer in the academy, and Nasir had learned a thing or two from him. He decided then and there that he would put that knowledge to good use, and would rid Agron's ship of its troubles.

    Beginning the next day, Nasir used every single spare moment he had on the auxiliary bridge, going over all of Captain's Fancy's systems. He ran every diagnostic he could think of, every simulation, dividing the systems and analyzing them to see if he could find anything at all. A few days in and he was already looking tired and run-down. It didn't help that Agron seemed especially amorous of late.

    Their nights were filled with passion, leaving Nasir exhausted. But every morning as soon as Agron was gone for the bridge, Nasir would head off to do more work. Despite their very active nightlife, Agron would find any excuse to leave the bridge, and come looking for his lover. He was like a new bridegroom, and couldn't get enough of his little man.

    A week passed, and Agron surprised Nasir in the galley as he was serving himself a cup of coffee. The mess was deserted, and Agron came up behind him, pulling him tight against his large frame. Growling, he swept Nasir's hair aside, and pressed his lips to the skin of his neck, leaving a trail of wet, open mouthed kisses there.

    "Agron, what are you doing? Here? Ummm, stop with the licking and the kissing," Nasir moaned, yet he still reached up behind himself and pulled Agron's head closer. "Love, someone could see us..." he trailed off.

    "I'll be quick, I promise, I just need you." Agron murmured against his ear.  Placing his hands on Nasir's shoulders, he turned the smaller man around to face them, and pressed him back against the cabinets. Kissing his mouth, Agron pulled off Nasir's clothing, and dropped to his knees right in front of him. Then his large, strong hands began to stroke Nasir's already half-hard cock, bringing his member to full attention before he knew what was happening.

    Agron's hot, inviting mouth was sucking him down then in one swift motion, taking him deep into his throat, and holding him there. Nasir groaned loudly, and his hands went straight to Agron's hair, fingers tightening around the unruly spikes. Wrapping his tongue around Nasir's length, Agron began bobbing his head up and down, hollowing his cheeks.     

    The younger man could feel his release building, surprised at how fast Agron could bring him there. "Mmmmmm," Agron hummed, and Nasir cried out. "Fuck, Agron... " and nothing could have kept him from cumming in that moment, thrusting into Agron's warm, beautiful mouth, spilling himself down his throat. Agron looked up at his lover then, and his pupils were blown wide, and he was trying to catch his breath. Slowly, Agron pulled off of Nasir's cock, licking him clean as he went, swallowing the last of his release. "You are so fucking perfect," he whispered as he stood, burying his face in Nasir's dark tresses, holding him close, before pulling away. "I love you," he laughed. "And get dressed, anyone could walk in and see you like this." With a cheeky wink, he darted from the room, and headed for the bridge, leaving Nasir alone. Had it not been for the fact that his shipsuit was down around his ankles, he might have wondered if it had all been a daydream.

    Three days later, Nasir began using his zone implant once more. The virus had become an obsession for him, as though curing Agron's ship would somehow help to assuage the feelings of guilt he carried over Starmaster. Sleep was a luxury he could not afford, and his implant allowed him to become more than what he was. As soon as Agron drifted off at night, Nasir was out the door, working for hours in secret. While his lover was on the bridge, still he plugged away. He did not rest, he did not eat. The only time he stopped was when he was on Mira's watch.

    To Agron, he made excuses, claiming nightmares were keeping him from sleeping. And not wanting to press, Agron let it pass. The only other person to notice Nasir's strange behavior was Lucius, who decided to keep a close watch on "the boy", as he still called him.

    Two weeks later, and it occurred to Nasir just what he needed to do in order to identify the virus. He needed a study of the ship's programming as it was recorded over time in the datacore. That would allow him to compare the original programming with it's current state. The job was extremely complex and took an additional four days.

    When it was finally finished, Nasir would have shut down if not for the zone implant's emissions. From the day the ship had first set out on its maiden voyage to today, no changes or additions had been made to the programming. According to his data, there was no virus. There was nothing left for Nasir to do except cry.

    Lucius found him in the galley, sobbing uncontrollably. As fast as his arthritic joints would allow, the old man served Nasir a cup of coffee and brought it to him at the table. The aroma wafting through the air seemed to break through Nasir's hysteria. He choked back sobs long enough to lift his mug and drink deeply.

    "That's better," Lucius said. "If you keep this up, you're going to kill yourself. Talk to me son, I want to help you if I can. You missed your last watch, but Mira kept it to herself. She knows what complaining against you to Agron will get her."

    "Where's Pietros?" Nasir croaked. "I need his help."

    The data one arrived a few minutes later, and Nasir had to wonder at the fact that he was now so out of it, he hadn't even heard Lucius summon him.

    "Hey, Nasir, Lucius said you wanted to see me?" asked the nervous young man.

    "Yeah, listen, Pietros, the answer is right here, I can feel it, I can almost see it, but I just can't grasp it. Look, if you wanted to plant a virus, how would you do it?"

    "Well, I imagine you'd have to sit at the data board and write it in. And honestly, I've been thinking. Gnaeus wouldn't have had that kind of time alone with the computers when he first came on board. You've seen how Agron is, he doesn't give his trust easily, and he would have never allowed him the amount of uninterrupted time something like that would require."

    "Is there another way?" They were moving in the right direction, Nasir could tell. He just needed a little more guidance.

    "Not really, he couldn't have written it all beforehand, because every system is unique. There is no such thing as a standardized virus." Pietros was getting excited now, it couldn't be that simple, could it?

    "So, now we have a virus that couldn't have been written beforehand, and also couldn't have been written after... so what does that leave? Hardware..." His exhaustion was overtaking Nasir again and he trailed off. He had been running on the artficial energy provided by his zone implant too long. No matter the signals coming from the infernal thing, his body could no longer keep up.

    "Holy shit, Nasir! You've got it, an interface card. They're universal, and all he would have needed to do was replace our existing cards with his, already pre-loaded with the virus. You're a genius, Gods, you should have my job!"

    Nasir smiled weakly at the praise. That was it, he'd done it. He'd solved Agron's problem. As long as Captain's Fancy had sealed boxes of interface cards in storage, they'd be able to get rid of the infected ones, and their ship would run smoothly once more.

    He was starting to feel funny, his eyes could no longer focus, and his heart was beating way too fast. Nasir could hear Lucius on the intercom, calling for Agron and Mira both to come to the galley, shouting about how Nasir had something to tell them. The room began to spin around him and he suddenly felt nauseous. The last thing he was aware of was Pietros yelling out his name, and diving to catch him as he slumped sideways out of his chair, the now lukewarm coffee soaking through his shipsuit, and the sound of the mug as it hit the floor and shattered.  
  
   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A cliffhanger of sorts, be back with another update soon!


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time to say hello to an old acquaintance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a short one, just to check in on some of our other players.

  
  
    The order to have Ashur Thermopyle frozen came by gap courier drone, straight from UMCPHQ, and it was signed by Gannicus Lebwohl, Director of Data Acquisition, or DA. Thermopyle had become a very important prisoner all of a sudden.

    Milos Taverner, a small, nervous looking, fussy, weasel of a man, was delighted. He was Deputy Chief of Capua Station Security, and unbeknownst to his immediate superior, he was Agron Niklaus' inside man. Agron paid, and paid well, for information, favors, any number of things. His most recent request, aid in framing Thermopyle, had netted Milo a tidy little sum that was currently accruing interest in a bank account on Picentia Financial under a fictitious name.

    Having been put in charge of the case against Ashur, he had been overjoyed at the fact that the man had remained silent as the grave. He wasn't sure how much the stubborn bastard knew, but as long as he was keeping it to himself, Milos was safe from suspicion.

    "By the Gods, I won't have it!" Milos' boss had screamed. "Thermopyle has been making our lives miserable around here for as far back as I can remember. Now we've caught him, and UMCPHQ thinks they can just swoop in and take him from us? If anybody nails him, it's going to be us!"

    This is not what Milos wanted to hear in the least. He tried to reason with boss about the unwise course of disobeying a direct order from the UMCP. The recent passage on Earth of the new Preempt Act granted the UMCP jurisdiction over all human space, including the separate security teams on each station. Now Gannicus Lebwohl, or any other UMCP director, could demand the cryogenic imprisonment of any number of inmates.

    "That damn Preempt Act is new. We can always claim we didn't understand, or needed clarification. It won't work for long, but it will buy us some time. You've got to break that son of a bitch, soon Milos!"

    The Deputy Chief had groaned inward, and then was forced to make the appearance of redoubling his efforts against Thermopyle, lest he come under suspicion. However, despite drugs, beatings, sleep deprivation, throughout all of this and more, Ashur persisted in his silence.

    Ashur Thermopyle had made his deal with Nasir MornHyl, and he was going to hold his end up. Afterall, Nasir hadn't betrayed him, or else he would already have been acused in the matter of the zone implant. He had kept his part of the bargain by running off with Captain Goatfucker, and no matter how much it pained him, Ashur would hold to his promise. He could also tell that the man asking him the questions, really didn't want the answers to come out. Taverner's behavior made Ashur certain he knew who the double agent was.

    The only time he had shown any sign of defiance was after he recovered from the news that his ship was to be destroyed. Once the rage had subsided, Ashur looked as though he had lost the will to live. He lay in his bunk, and refused meals and baths. After three days of this behavior, the guards came after him with a stun prod to get him to the interrogation room.

    Later that night, he ripped a piece of his sheet and tied it tightly around his neck. By the time the bored guard came to untie him, his eyes were bulging and he was retching heavily. Lulled into complacency, the guard made the mistake of leaving the cell door open.

    At last Ashur took his chance. He took the guard's stun prod, and shoved it in the unfortunate man's face. Once the guard was down, he relieved him of his gun, and dashed out the doorway. If he could make it to the service shaft that led to the waste processing plant, he'd have a good chance. He might be able to hide down there for days, then escape into PitSec, and stow away on an outgoing ship.

    While he was trying to force the shaft cover open, the guards caught up with him. They exchanged fire, and he was still clinging to hope when one of their shots hit the shaft cover, rendering it impossible to open. With that escape route no longer available to him, he was done for. When his gun finally ran out of charge, he was easily recaptured. Later, he would wish he had taken his life instead.

    The day Milos visited Ashur in his cell with a beautiful woman in tow, dread settled in the pit of his stomach like a stone. She had long dark hair, and wore a UMCP uniform, tailored to show off her figure, knee-length boots, and a gun on her hip. She wasn't especially imposing, but she moved with an air of authority, a woman used to people obeying her orders.

    She stood just inside the cell door, her arms folded across her chest, and stared at Ashur. "Well, you certainly don't waste care on prisoners here on Capua, do you Milos?" she asked, her voice dripping with obvious distaste.

    "Just take him, get him off the station before he talks and gets us all in trouble," Milos hissed at her. That was a mistake.

    "If you want him gone so badly, why didn't you comply with Gannicus' order?" she snapped.

    Ashur, who had been listening to the exchange intently, felt like a stun prod had just been touched to his gut. Gannicus Lebwohl, DA Director had reqqed him? Every illegal who worked the belt knew about Gannicus Lebwohl. They all said he was a fucking madman.

    "That request was an affont to Security, but you're still going to get what you want. That's what you're here for, isn't it?"

    "Yes, thanks to the Preempt Act. And how do you think that got passed? You provided just what the UMCP needed, Milos, a traitor in Cap-Station Security. We knew you were going to help Niklaus frame Ashur, and we let it happen. Once it had been established that you all couldn't be trusted, well, the opposition fell apart." Turning away from Taverner, the woman moved to stand directly in front Ashur.

    "Do you know who I am? No, of course you don't. I'm Sura Donner, ED Director, UMCP. From now on Ashur, you're going to work for us. You won't have a choice, you see."

    If he had had anything in his bladder, Ashur would have pissed his pants. His mouth hung open, instead. "Stay the fuck away from me," he rasped. "If you try to take me off this shitheap, I'll talk. I'll scream what I know to all of human space. When the truth gets out, your fucking Preempt Act won't be worth shit!"

    Sura Donner just held Ashur's gaze, showing him how little his threat meant to her. Then she turned back to Milos once more. "I'll keep this short and sweet. You've been reqqed, Taverner. The official story is that we need your first hand knowledge of him. But the real reason is for your own protection. If anybody happened to stumble onto your little side job, you'd be finished. Then again, so would we. Now, I suggest you start getting ready, we don't have a lot of time here."

    The ED Director crossed to the door and pounded on it with her fist. A guard opened the door, weapon at the ready, but when he saw Donner, he stepped out of her way quickly. Ignoring the guard completely, Sura strode down the hall without a look back.

    Milos remained in the cell, face pale, wheezing for breath. He and Ashur stared at each other, horrified and helpless. Without warning, the small man sank to his knees, feeling like he was about to pass out. Before the guard could reach him, Ashur lunged forward, knocking Milos backwards. Sitting on top of his chest, Ashur cocked back his arm, and slammed his fist into the Deputy Chief's face. "You fucking cock! What have you done to me? I will fucking kill you!" he bellowed.

    Just before he could land another blow, a stun prod caught him in his back, and Ashur fell in a heap to the floor, convulsions wracking his body. By the time he stopped shaking and regained control of his limbs, he had cuffs on both his arms and legs, and was being marched between two guards through an unfamiliar section of the prison area. He thought he might have seen a sign that said MEDICAL but he wasn't sure - his eyes were still too unfocused.

    He was desperate and terrified and his heart hammered against his ribcage. "Listen to me," he gasped at the guards. "Listen, you don't know what's going on here. You've got a traitor here in Security and..."

    The guards stopped, and while one of the slammed him back against the wall, the other slapped a strip of gag tape over his mouth. Then they started moving again, dragging him along. He was choking on his screams as they shoved him into a large, sterile, operating room. The room was freezing cold, and with horror, he realized it was filled with cryogenic encapsulation materials. His worst fears had finally caught up with him it would seem.  
          
   

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, we haven't seen the last of Ashur. He'll pop back up later, but next few chapters belong all to Nagron.


	10. Supplementary Record/Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An introduction to the Amnion. Then Agron takes a huge risk in order to save Nasir's life.

 

  
Supplementary Record

  
    Two schools of thought exist as to when "first contact" with the Amnion actually took place. The debate has been raging for decades, and the only thing either side can agree on is that no matter when first contact did occur, either way it was bad news for mankind.

    The first opinion has roots that began to grow fifty years ago, when an Intertech ship, Far Rover, discovered a satellite in orbit around the largest planet in the solar system it had been sent to probe. The ship had been studying that system for a full standard Earth year when it made the discovery. Once it was ascertained that the satellite was not of local origin, Far Rover crossed the gap back to Earth, with the alien equipment secured in a sterile hold.

    The greatest minds of the age were invited to be a part of history, and the satellite was taken apart. Inside, was a small cryogenic container that held one kilo of an alien mutagenic material. Studies went on for three years, during which time a man by the name of Captain Sixten Vertigus was commissioned to make a trip back to where the satellite had been found. He was given command of a ship, Deep Star, and tasked with finding whatever had put that satellite into orbit in the first place.

    This is the origin of the second viewpoint. Captain Vertigus' instructions had been clear. Establish proximity with an alien spacecraft or station, broadcast a recording prepared by Intertech's leading scientists, record any returning transmissions, and then escape into the gap in a way that would confuse pursuit.

    Sixten Vertigus, however, was not one to follow rules. Donning an EVA suit, Captain Vertigus risked boarding the alien vessel, Solidarity, and the first meeting of a human and an Amnion took place. He would later describe the creatures as "vaguely humanoid, part sea anemone, and with far too many arms" for his liking. He also established that the air on board Solidarity was breathable, although unpleasant.

    Gifts were exchanged - Vertigus leaving the Amnion captain, or "decisive" as the direct translation goes, with a copy of the Intertech recording and a player. The recording contained a basis for the Amnion to begin translating human speech, and a message offering trade with the United Mining Companies. In return, the Amnion presened Sixten with a sealed canister containing the same mutagenic substance found by Far Rover.

    On Earth, research into the strange material had already begun.  Tests eventually included injecting the component into a rat. Within a day, the rat had begun to change, becoming something that resembled a mobile clump of seaweed. It was determined that from its DNA outward, the rat had been altered. More experiments were attempted, with rabbits, and chimps. All produced the same result.

    The course of Earth's history was forever changed when the decision was made to try the mutagen on a human being. The woman who volunteered for the assignment probably hoped for some kind of immortality, for her name to go down in the record books. She only survived for a day and a half.

 

    In that time however, she changed, much as the animals before her had. She was described as a "bipedal tree, with luxuriant foliage, and several extra arms." An hour before expiring, she wailed for paper, and spent the remainder of her time scribbling furiously. Upon autopsy, it was discovered that she had died not from the mutation itself, but of fright.

 

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Chapter 10

 

  
    The medbay was useless, Gnaeus' virus had seen to that. Nasir lay on the table, unconscious, and Agron could do nothing about it. He sat numbly by his lover's side, holding his hand, whispering softly to him every time the tremors took hold of him. Agron had no way to know that Nasir had damaged his synapses from overexposure to the emissions of his zone implant. His lover's small body was shutting down, his life signs growing weaker by the hour.

    The only people he had allowed in the medbay were Mira and Lucius, and that was only because he had needed something from both of them. Agron had a choice to make, and it wasn't one he could make lightly. Captain's Fancy had been taking a roundabout course to Billingate to ensure no one came after them. They were too far away from the installation, and Nasir needed medical treatment now. In all honesty, they were closer to Forbidden Space than they were to Billingate. The Amnion would know how to help Nasir, but it was a dangerous game Agron would be playing if he decided to take them there.

    "Lucius says we should be able to get one more crossing out of the gap drive, as long as it's a short one. He wouldn't stake his life on it, though. But I will." Agron spoke to Nasir, trying to reassure him, hoping the young man could hear his words.

    "I know what you're thinking Agron," spoke Mira from behind her captain. "You want to take him to Enablement Station, to the Amnion."

    "Shut your mouth, Mira. This isn't your decision to make. I'm the captain of this fucking ship. Don't you ever forget that," he spat at her, feeling the rage building inside him once again. He had carried Nasir here when the young man collapsed on the floor, forgetting for the moment that it would do no good. He had tried in vain to get some reaction out of his lover, but there was nothing, save the shaking. He had been so afraid Nasir might choke on his own tongue that Agron had removed his own belt and placed it between Nasir's teeth.

    Mira scowled deeply at Agron's back. They had been there before, to Enablement. The memory of that time would never leave her. The terror she had felt had been like a monster gnawing at her heart. And now Agron was going to put them all right back in that situation, risking their lives over this pretty little slip of a boy.

    "If you do this, we may never see human space again. Lucius made it very clear - the gap drive has maybe one more crossing left. Even if we get to Enablement, and if the Amnion help Nasir, what happens next? You know I've got more at stake here than my own life."

    Agron bared his teeth as though he were about to howl. "I'm Agron Niklaus. Fuck the Gods, I'm the only man in the whole fucking galaxy that does what he wants, when he wants. I've double dealt the UMCP more times than I can count. I beat fucking Thermo-pile. I've danced with the Amnion before and gotten away with it. This time will be no different."

    He fell silent, it was no use trying to explain it to his second. Mira could never understand how much Nasir meant to him. For years, he had walked, and talked, and fucked, but he hadn't felt anything, not really. He was a body absent soul, until the day Nasir walked into his life, and made his heart beat once more. The pain of Duro's fate would always hang heavy over him, but it no longer consumed his every waking moment. He couldn't go back to the way things were ever again, he could not live without Nasir. There had never really been a choice for Agron. He would take them to Forbidden Space and the Amnion, and if they never made it out of there, at least he wouldn't have to live a day without Nasir.

    Eighteen hours later, Agron was settled firmly in his command chair, facing down two Amnion warships just off Enablement. He looked confident and sure of himself, as though he already knew the outcome of the situation. The last time they had been here, Agron had basically gotten paid twice for one job. His ship had needed repairs he couldn't afford, and he had agreed to do a job for Gannicus Lebwohl. The DA Director was offering a king's ransom for Captain's Fancy to cross into Amnion space.  And the Amnion had though they were getting a hell of deal. Agron had agreed to let them inject him with one of their fucking mutagens in exchange for making all the repairs. They had thought they would get Agron, and in turn his ship and his crew. Except, thanks to Gannicus, it hadn't worked out that way.

    The resource that the enemy was most hungry for was human beings. They did things to them, experimented on them. What they were hoping for was to create an Amnion that would retain it's human appearance. This is how they proposed to conquer humanity, with a Trojan horse. Gannicus Lebwohl had given Agron a sample of the immunity drug, created with data stolen from Lucius' Intertech team. Agron had known all this when he gave Nasir his bitter speech weeks ago, because Gannicus had betrayed Agron as well. The deal had been that Agron would go into Amnion space, and test the immunity drug. If it worked, then the UMCP would agree to distribute it, and make it available to everyone. Then, after Agron had done the job, Gannicus had reneged on his promise, claiming that the order came someone higher up than him.

    Snapped out of his reverie by Lugo's voice, Agron came to full attention.

    "They are hailing us," Lugo said, in a surprisingly timid voice. He activated the speaker, and the message flooded the bridge.

    "Enablement Station to approaching human vessel. You are in violation of terms of treaty and presumed hostile."

    "Send them standard i.d., and tell them we require help for a medical emergency." Agron's fists were clenched tight, his knuckles white with the tension.

    There was a stretch of silence during which everyone on board held their breath.Then the speakers crackled to life once more, that same strange, croaking voice again. "Presumed human Captain Agron Niklaus, what is the nature of your medical difficulty?"

    The explanation of Nasir's condition was difficult to convey, because nobody was even sure what was wrong with him, but Agron did his best. His lover's breathing had become very shallow, sometimes long moments passing between shuddering breaths. His skin was clammy and pale, his lips a colorless line in his face. If the Amnion didn't accept Agron's proposal soon, he feared that Nasir would not last much longer.

    "This is what I propose. Captain's Fancy will dock on Enablement Station, after which time the human male and myself will enter. We will be taken to a medical facility where you will restore him to physical health. I will give you one deciliter of my blood. Then the human male and I will return to my ship, and we will depart Amnion territory at the highest speed we can achieve.  Are these terms acceptable?"

    The reply was immediate. The bastards must have been frothing at the mouth to get ahold of Agron's blood sample, no doubt to analyze it and figure out why the mutagen had not worked on him. "Enablement Station to presumed Captain Agron Niklaus, your proposal is accepted.  Permission to dock is granted."

    Teeth flashed once more, and Agron stood from his chair and pumped his fist into the air. The fucking alien freaks had taken the bait. With a little luck, this would all be over soon.

    In the medbay, Mira was preparing both Agron and Nasir for the trip. With a little difficulty, she managed to get Nasir into an EVA suit, he would need the oxygen to breathe on Enablement. Amnion air was breathable, but it wasn't recommended. His i.d. tag had already gone into the pocket of Mira's own shipsuit. They couldn't risk the Amnion finding out they had a cop on their hands.

    Before sealing his faceplate, Agron slipped a small, grey, capsule into his mouth, placing it underneath his tongue. It was the immunity drug, which acted as a binder. If taken within half an hour of being exposed to a mutagen, it would tied it up, and flush it from the body as waste. He carried it with him to take after the Amnion obtained his blood sample. This way he protected everything- the blood they received from him would be clean, and in the event they used a tainted needle, he would be safe.

    Mira threw herself at him, and he held her clumsily, the EVA suit preventing them from getting too close. "Don't worry, Vasaczk. I never lose, remember?" Pulling away from her, Agron turned to lift Nasir easily, carrying him to the airlock. He waited there for Laeta to cycle open the door.

    Two Amnion stood outside, waiting for them. They may have had arms and legs, heads with eyes and mouths, but that's where a resemblance to humans ended. They wore no clothes, their skin protected by a thick crust, like tree bark. Teeth that looked like they belonged in a lamprey's mouth were bared, and the eyes in their heads had no eyelids. The larger one gestured for Agron to follow, and he did.

    Off to the side waited a transport vehicle of some sort. Agron was instructed to place Nasir inside, and then to wait.

    "Not a fucking chance," he snarled at his escorts. "He stays within my sight at all times or the deal is off!"

    Seeming to confer for a moment, the guards relented, and Agron lay Nasir down in the back row of the transport, then squeezed himself in beside his young lover. A short time later, the vehicle slid to a stop in front of a set of double doors.

    Once inside the room, Agron laid Nasir down on the operating table, and moved to take a seat in the corner. The "doctor" shuffled forward, and handed Agron a hypo. "Human falseness in trade is an established reality. The risk of this deal has been accepted because what you offer has great value. However, the mutual satisfaction of requirements must be begun by you. You will concede one deciliter of your blood, as agreed upon. Afterwards, your human companion will be cured of whatever physical malady ails him."

    "Oh what the hell," quipped Agron. "This will make another excellent story to add to my fame once it's all over." He handed to syringe back to the doctor after inspecting it, and then  removed his glove from the EVA suit, pulling the material up to his bicep, allowing the doctors access to his veins. In a few moments, the vial was filled with thick, dark, blood.  Agron tugged the arm of the suit down, and shoved his fingers into his glove, resealing it quickly.

    "What are your wishes concerning his body? Will you trade for it? Credits can be offered," spoke the doctor.

    Agron's body went rigid. "What are you talking about? I want to take him back with me, alive and physically healthy, as you promised."

    "Captain Niklaus, your requirements were that we restore the human male's physical health. This is possible. However the process will cause damage to the mind. Irreparable damage. Among Amnion, this does not occur. Among humans, however, it produces insanity. A complete loss of reason and function. He will be of no further use to you. Therefore, trade for his body is now offered."

    Through gritted teeth, he spoke. "That is unacceptable." He was close to violence now, the need to tear and kill rising to the surface and threatening to overpower him.

    "It is acceptable, you accepted it yourself, Captain Niklaus." The doctor's calm tone was unnerving Agron even further.

    "No, I didn't!" he shouted. "Fuck the Gods, I didn't know! I wasn't aware that I was asking you to destroy his mind!"

    "That is of no concern to the Amnion. You have not been dealt with falsely. That you failed to inquire of the process is fault of your own. An agreement has been reached." While this exchange had been going on, a clutch of Amnion guards had entered the room without Agron noticing. Now they moved forward as one, their many arms restraining him, forcing him to his knees on the floor. He struggled against their grip, but there were too many of them. He couldn't get free.

    Agron let out a scream, a howl of grief and rage and agony. He was forced to watch as they removed first Nasir's EVA suit, then his shipsuit. On the operating table, he was naked, and a breathing mask was secured over his face. "Nasir!" Agron cried again and again, but Nasir could not hear him, and the Amnion didn't care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only a few more chapters to go in Part II, so I hope you'll stick with me!


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Amnion give Agron an impossible choice.

  
  
    Nasir began drifting towards consciousness when the anesthetic coming through the breathing mask was stopped. The process seemed to take a long time. The alien drugs were strong, and he was helpless to bring himself all the way back. Gradually though, he became aware that he could hear Agron's voice.

    "Nasir," he demanded, "wake up! You told me you loved me, now prove it! Come back to me, please Nasir! Just fucking wake up, open your eyes, love!"

    Some part of him heard Agron's fury, and recognized that he was working himself into a killing rage. He could feel hands shaking his shoulders, shaking his heart. And he remembered that he loved Agron.

    "These bastards fucking lied to me! They cheated! They were supposed to bring you back to me, but..." Agron broke into a coughing fit.

    Nasir could sense that Agron had pulled away from him. "You cheated, you fucking cunt! You killed him!" Another fit of coughing tore at Agron's lungs. "If he doesn't wake up, as sane and coherent as he was before, I will fucking kill every last one of you bastards."

    With a monumental effort, Nasir opened his eyes. Blinking hard against the harsh, sulfuric Amnion atmosphere, by degrees, he was finally able to see. Agron stood a few paces away, still wearing his EVA suit but with his faceplate open. He was staring down a monstrous shape, which Nasir recognized as an Amnion, much to his horror.

    "Again, the offer is made to accept your human companion. You will be compensated. His usefulness to you is gone. The only means to restore a working mind to him is to alter his genetic identity."

    "In other words, you want to make him Amnion," Agron snarled. "Fuck you, no way!"

    Focusing his eyes on the scene before him, Nasir took in the details of Agron's appearance. Through his open faceplate, Nasir could see his face was wet with tears, the result of the bitter air he was forcing himself to breathe so that Nasir could hear his voice.

    Too weak to call out, or even get up, Nasir rolled himself over, and fell off the table, landing on the cold floor. At the edges of his vision, he saw Agron's boots take long strides towards him. As if he were weightless, Agron reached down and put his arms around Nasir, lifting him off the ground, and setting him back down on the operating table.

    Immediately, large hands were cupping Nasir's cheeks, as wide, green eyes looked every inch of him over. "Is it you, love? Are you with me?" Agron whispered frantically.

    Swallowing hard, Nasir nodded yes. "I'm Nasir MornHyl," he croaked from his parched throat. "And you're Agron Niklaus.

    "Nasir," Agron practically moaned. He pulled his young lover into a crushing embrace, forgetting for the moment that he was weak and tired. Turning to the Amnion doctor, Agron spat, "You will get him some fucking clothes. And then he and I are leaving."

    "This does not conform to established reality. The process always produces total and irreparable loss of reason and function. Further analysis is required." The alien was clearly confused, and did not look ready to let the two lovers walk out of the installation.

    One of the secondary creatures stepped towards the humans, with Nasir's boots and shipsuit. With one of its four arms, it held the clothing out to the young man, who made no attempt to reach for it. His eyes were huge in his head, and he shrank back from the Amnion. Agron reached out, and took the clothing, turning back to Nasir. "Get dressed. We have to get back to Captain's Fancy. We can talk there, and I'll explain everything to you, I promise."

    Nasir complied, setting aside his fear because of the trust he placed in Agron. Awkwardly, he began to dress, as though his brain were still not in complete control of his movements. As he sealed his suit up, he felt the small, black, box in his pocket. No one had found his control, he couldn't believe his luck. Cautiously, slipping his hand around the control, he keyed the thing off.  Once he was finished, Agron turned once more to the Amnion. "He's done, now I want out of here."

    "You will be escorted to your ship now," the doctor stated.

    With one hand on the small of Nasir's back, Agron helped him down from the table, pulling him close as his feet hit the floor. As they began to move, he leaned his head close to Nasir's ear, and whispered, "I can't tell you not to be scared, but I can ask you to trust me. I'm going to get us out of here." By the time they reached the dock, Nasir legs were trembling, both from his fear and from exhaustion.

    As the pair of lovers neared the airlock, one of their escorts spoke. "You may board your ship. You may not depart, however."

    "What?" Agron rounded on the guards. "That violates our agreement. Departure is part of the fucking trade."

    "Presumed human Captain Agron Niklaus, departure has been agreed. It will be delayed. Events do not conform to established realities. Your departure is postponed."

    "No!" Agron shouted at the creature. "I don't agree! I want out of here!"

    There was no response, other than for the guards to gesture with their weapons at the airlock. After a long moment, Agron turned and pulled Nasir after him. "Fuck the Gods," he growled. Once they were sealed in the airlock, Agron ripped his helmet from his hands, and ran his fingers through his hair. Then he pounded on the inner seal, "Open the fucking door!"

    "Agron," Mira demanded over the com system as soon as they were inside, "what is going on?"

    Ripping his EVA suit off as he strode on board, Agron barked back at her. "How should I know? Those bastards, if they make us stick around here long enough, they'll have time to test my blood. They'll know something is up when they find it clean. They won't be able to explain why I didn't change, and neither will we."

    Running to keep pace with the taller man, Nasir gasped, "Agron, what about me? If you're going to the bridge, I want to stay with you."

    Stopping dead in his tracks, Agron turned to face his lover. He held out his hand, letting Nasir know with  the action that he welcomed his presence. Grasping the proferred hand in his own, Nasir felt some of his strength return. Moving quickly to the lift, they rode it to the bridge. As they did Nasir begged Agron to tell him what had happened.

    "You were dying, I don't know how or why, but you were. And I didn't know what to do. We were too far from Billingate, but Enablement Station was so close. I took a chance coming here, because I'd been here before to test that immunity drug we talked about before. I knew the Amnion would want my blood, because they wouldn't understand why I hadn't turned. I'll explain the rest later but for now, I have to figure out how to get us out of here."

    Agron pulled Nasir out of the lift doors, and made for the bridge. All eyes turned towards them, and the looks ranged from relieved to outright hostile. Pietros shot out of his seat as he moved to embrace Nasir, who returned the hug gratefully.

    "Agron," Lugo said unsteadily, "Enablement is sending us a message."

    "Speakers," Agron ordered.

    At once, the same mechanical, alien, voice from earlier filled the bridge. "Enablement Station to presumed human Captain Agron Niklaus, prepare to recieve an emissary."

    Everyone froze. No Amnion had ever boarded a human vessel before, but it would seem they were out of options. "Your emissary is acceptable," the captain replied.

    Rounding on Mira, he began to bark orders. "Mira, you're the escort. Don't let it in until you're certain it comes alone. Keep your impact rifle on it at all times. We won't bother to pretend to be civil about this. GO!"

    Mira's mouth clenched in an unspoken protest, but she did as she was told. The door sealed behind her, and Agron addressed his crew. "All right, listen up. The Amnion obviously want to make a deal, or they wouldn't be sending a representative. So, what are we going to ask them for?"

    Lucius stood and cleared his throat. "You said it yourself Agron. If they keep us around long enough, they can test your blood. But it's actually worse than that. If we leave slow enough, they will still have time to come after us. They'll catch us. Right now, we can't outrun a canoe. We're a half lightyear away from Billingate. At our fastest speed, it's going to take us a year to get there, and we've only got about six months of supplies. We'll never make it."

    Agron made a "hurry up" gesture with his hand at his engineer, impatient with the old man. Lucius quickly explained the rest of his plan, which was to ask for parts to repair their gap drive.  He and Pup could do the work themselves, and then they could get out of Forbidden Space and make it to Billingate, like their original plan had been. Nasir could still sell his codes and other UMCP information, and they'd be golden again. It was really a brilliant plan, but it would all hinge on what the Amnion would ask in return. What if it was something they couldn't, or wouldn't, give?

    Terror was invading Nasir's brain, and he needed to get control of himself before he lost his mind. Looking around to be sure no one was watching, once more he put his hand in his pocket, and guided his fingers to the familiar buttons. He activated the combination that suppressed his fear. Relief and false strength washed over him, and he let out a heavy breath.

    Despite the zone implant's emissions, Nasir was still shocked when Mira gained the bridge with the Amnion emissary in tow. The creature at Mira's side had obviously at one time been human. It roughly resembled a man, having one normal arm, and most of his torso was without flaw. Half of his face looked and moved like a normal man's, with one hazel, lidded eye. The other half of its face was anything but normal, instead crusted over with a solid black eye like a shark.  The knees of his strange shipsuit had been cut away to accomodate for the thick Amnion skin that had taken over there, looking like a barnacle crusted boat.

    "I wish to sit," said the creature in a flat, emotionless voice.

    Everyone on the bridge stared at the thing, all of them disturbed for reasons they could not articulate. Lucius had the pallor of a corpse, and was unconsciously wringing his hands. Pietros was almost ready to pass out, while Saxa's lip was curled up, her eyes slitted into disgust and loathing.

    The scars under Agron's eyes seemed to pulse as he sneered at the creature. "You wish to sit? Well, too bad." He swept his arm around the bridge, "We don't have any open seats."

    The human half of the thing's face twitched slightly, and it repeated in the same voice, "I wish to sit."

    Agron leaned forward in his seat, "Are you deaf? That will sure make negotiating with you a bitch. I said we don't have any empty seats. If this is the way you're going to conduct business, you might as well leave and stop wasting my time."

    When the Amnion repeated his demand for a third time, Agron threw up his hands in exasperation. His glare momentarily promised blood, but he held himself in check. "Fuck the Gods! We'll die of boredom before we get anywhere at this rate! Sit there," he jabbed his finger towards Lugo's station. "Lugo, up! Shut down your board and let our guest have your seat."

    After taking his seat, the creature turned its human eye toward the captain's chair. "I am Marc Vestabule. I was once one of you. The Amnion attempted to change my genetic identity without altering my physical appearance. As you can see, while the result was not completely successful, I still retain some of my human physicality."

    A long discussion ensued, and finally the thing came around to what it is was the Amnion wanted, and imparted that they were willing to pay whatever price Agron asked of them. He gave Agron a choice. The aliens would supply Captain's Fancy with the parts needed to repair the gap drive, and enough credits to buy a whole armada of ships once they reached Billingate. All that they required in return was either Agron or Nasir.

    "One of you must stay behind. Further analysis is needed. The blood sample you provided will not be sufficient for the amount of testing that is required. In addition, we now understand the reason for your companion's seeming immunity. We wish to perform further studies. The Amnion would prefer both of you, but will be satisfied with one. Make your choice."

    Agron's scars were black, and his green eyes grew stormy. "Be specific. Why do you need him? What is the reason for his immunity?"

    "His mind was protected. Surely you knew this. We could only assume this is the reason you brought him here, to test his immunity. We have some knowledge of such devices, but are unfamiliar with this particular application of the implant." Vestabule's human eye blinked and widened as Agron surged out of his seat.

    In a rage, he faced Nasir, and screamed at him. "A zone implant! You've got a fucking zone implant! Was it all a lie, all of it?" Turning back to his console, he slammed his fist hard on the board, growling in anger.

    "Agron!" Mira's voice cracked the air like a whip. "Not here, not now!" she hissed at him.

    Reigning in his temper, Agron squared his shoulders, and faced the Amnion Vestabule. "Give me time to consider your proposal. I will beam my answer to you shortly."

    "That is acceptable," the creature nodded.

    "Then what are you fucking waiting for? Go away. Just looking at you makes me feel like I'm breaking out in hives." Agron muttered.

    Mira moved to lead the Amnion back off the ship. As she did, she looked back for a second, to see Agron and Nasir staring at each other, heartbreak and pain evident on both their faces.  
      
  
   


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agron must make a choice, but will Nasir go along with it?

  
  
    "Take him to his cabin, lock him in. If he gives you any trouble, tie him up, or knock him out, I don't care." Agron's voice was cold and distant, and Nasir felt it like a dagger of ice in his heart.

    "Agron, wait. Let me explain things. I-" but he was silenced by Agron's roar.

    "Shut your fucking mouth!" He growled once more, looking for something to throw and finding nothing. "Just get him out of my sight," he exhaled at Pietros.

    The data one stepped forward hesitantly, and took Nasir by the arm gently. As he nudged him out the door, Nasir lost his resolve and the tears streamed down his cheeks. Agron knew about his zone implant. Surely he would hand him over to the Amnion now. He found he didn't care. Absent Agron, he had nothing left he held to heart.

    He wasn't sure how many hours  he had been lying on his bunk when his door chimed. He gulped a deep breath of air, and watched as the door slid open three seconds later. He never had gotten around to disabling that timer. Now it didn't matter anyway, because he probably wouldn't  be around much longer. 

    Agron stepped through the doorway, his body so rigid the cords on his neck stood out. His golden skin was flushed and his eyes burned angrily. His fists began to shake as he stalked towards Nasir. He didn't say a word as he held out his hand, the demand obvious. He wanted Nasir's zone implant control.

    With shaky hands, Nasir reached into his shipsuit and pulled it out, handing it over obediently. Agron looked down at it with a mixture of disgust and sadness. His hand tightened around it so hard that Nasir thought it might break in that crushing grip. But he didn't touch any of the buttons. Instead he only huffed, "You know about the woman who killed my brother, and gave me these scars. What you did was even worse than that."

    Nasir refused to look away. Deep inside, he felt he deserved this for not telling Agron the truth in the beginning. He had just been too broken and hurt to see that Agron was nothing like Ashur, and that he would have never used the implant against him. He knew now he had made a mistake. But another part of him needed Agron to understand that he had not kept the truth from him in order to hurt him. It wasn't Nasir's fault that Thermopyle had damaged him so badly he couldn't see clearly. They were on opposite sides of the divide though, both of them too blinded by hurt and anger to truly comprehend the other's position.     

    Agron was feeling like everything he'd felt for Nasir, and all the things he had done for him, were founded on a lie. He and his crew were in this predicament because of Nasir. They never would have come here if it weren't for him. 

    Forcing himself to speak, Nasir tried once more to explain, "Agron, it isn't what you think. You have no idea what he did to me, what my guilt did to me. This has never been about you, and I never intended to hurt you. You brought me back from the darkness, and I love you so much. Please give me a chance."

    Agron scoffed, and curled his lip up at Nasir. "And I am to believe that all the time we were together, while I laid my soul bare for you, that you weren't using this fucking thing? You were playing me like a fool, just like that woman did with Duro!" He turned and flung the black box at closet door, and it bounced off and landed on the floor. 

    "If I could, I'd give you over to them right now. But if I do that, then what happens to my reputation? What are people  going to say about me when they find out I fell in love with a liar, and then shoved him off on the Amnion when I found out about his betrayal? I never fucking lose, damn you! And I am not about to start now!"

    "They've agreed to allow Lucius and Pup to inspect the gap drive components, though I'm not too sure what good that will do, since they're Amnion built. They won't be able to tell much about them. Right now, the Amnion think I am giving myself up, but I am really going to go and talk to them. I am going to try and negotiate further,  and I suppose I will have to give up the immunity drug, because that's the only way I see them letting me and all of us go."

    "There's a chance they will keep me anyway, and if that happens, then I suppose it won't matter what anybody thinks of me anymore. But it's a chance I have to take. And if we make it out of here, once we get to Billingate, you're on your own. I want you off my fucking ship and I never want to see you or even hear your name ever again. I am done with you."

    Just as Nasir was opening his mouth to speak again, Agron's arm shot out and he placed his hand around the smaller man's throat. "I said I am done with you. I don't want to hear your explanations. Just keep your Gods damned mouth shut!" Roughly he shoved Nasir back on the bed, and stormed out of the room, before Nasir could see him lose control. Once safely in the lift, he screamed, pounded and kicked at the walls, letting loose the anger he had been holding inside. 

    For his own part, Nasir lay on the bed weeping for several minutes, hating himself more then ever. No matter how tough and cold Agron was pretending to be, Nasir knew him too well already. The man's heart was shattered. This was worse then being given over to the Amnion. 

    Fifteen minutes later, his intercom chimed and Mira's voice came through the speakers. "Nasir? Just thought you should know. He's at the lockers, getting himself into a fresh EVA suit. Then he's got to get to the medbay and take some of those pills with him to try and negotiate. Nasir, I know you love him, and so does he. He's just too angry to see that right now. He left me instructions to take you to any port in human space you like, if he doesn't come back that is.  I'm sorry about all this."

    She hadn't even clicked off the intercom yet, and he'd already made up his mind what he was going to do. What the hell was his zone implant for if not for times like now. Retreiving the black box from its place on the floor, he savagely jabbed at buttons, until he found a combination that focused his anger and his pain into energy and action. From the bathroom, he retrieved a a nail file, and used it to pry open the control panel for his door lock. Finding the correct wires, he managed to cut them, bypassing the lock. 

    Placing his hands on the door, he applied sideways pressure, and it slid open easily now. Nasir raced to auxiliary bridge, knowing his time was running out. Laeta sat at the command seat, her back to the door. He didn't want to do this, but he couldn't have Laeta stop him or alert anyone else to his actions. Silent as a snake, Nasir edged toward her, raised his fist high in the air, and brought it down hard on the back of her skull. She slumped forward, her head cracking against the console. 

    Gently, Nasir slid her out of the seat, and placed her on the floor, checking her pulse to be sure she was still breathing. She was. There might be a bruise and bad headache to contend with, but other than that, Laeta would be fine. 

    For a moment, Nasir got the sense of deja-vu. He was alone on the auxiliary bridge, just like he had been on Starmaster when he initiated the self-destruct, killing his father and his entire crew. Now though, he was here to save someone who needed him, someone he loved more than his own life. He was going to save Agron. 

    Confident because of his zone implant, and clear to purpose, Nasir's fingers flew across his keyboard, cancelling the priority codes that would allow the commander on duty to override what he was about to do. The self-destruct was easy, besides, he'd done this before, and he remembered it perfectly. It wouldn't start on its own though; he would need to activate it himself. With any luck, the Amnion would do as he asked and there'd be no need to use it. 

    He monitored all the systems from here, and when he noticed the airlock cycle open, indicating Agron disembarking form the ship, he made his move. He opened a channel to Enablement Station, and one that would allow Captain's Fancy to hear everything that was exchanged. 

    "This is Nasir MornHyl," he began, and then realayed all that he had just done to the Amnion. He could hear Mira screaming at him over the speakers, ordering him to cancel the self-destruct and stand down. 

    "Nasir, what in the hell are you trying to do?" Mira shouted.

    "Save us all, even Agron," he replied smoothly. He had her there, and he knew it. There wasn't much in this world that Mira wouldn't do for her captain and friend. "Enablement Station, this is the human male who accompanied Captain Agron Niklaus  to your facility. I want my captain back."

    There was no reply.

    "Enablement Station, I have taken control of Captain's Fancy, and rigged a self-destruct. An expolosion this size can take a good forty percent of your station out. I will blow us all to the afterlife if I don't get Agron Niklaus back."

    Still no answer.

    Nasir chuckled. If they wanted to play it this way, that was fine with him. "Enablement Station, if you do not reply, I will assume your answer is a negative one. Then I won't have anything left to live for. Try me. You have five seconds. Four. Three."

    "Mira Vasaczk, what takes place aboard Captain's Fancy?" came the answer from the Amnion. 

    "MornHyl speaks true. He has sabotaged bridge systems, and he has turned this ship into a ticking time-bomb. His finger is on the detonator and he will use you it unless you do as he says."

    There was the audible click of the Amnion turning off their com system, and then a few long, tense, moments of silence before the alien voice spoke once more.

    "Nasir MornHyl, what is the purpose of this threat? This trade was directly negotiated with Captain Niklaus himself."

    "You better listen up, cause I'm only gonna say this once. Captain Niklaus may have traded directly with you, but he didn't do the same with me! Do you hear me? Captain Niklaus didn't have the right to give himself away, and I refuse to give him up!"

    "Maybe I am insane," Nasir raged. "Maybe whatever procedure you did to me just cost me reason and not function. I don't know, and I don't care. I want Agron back, and I want him back onboard now. If I don't get him, I will blow this ship to hell, and as much of your Gods damned installation as I can take with me!"

    The Amnion voice threatened ominously, "Enablement Station to Nasir MornHyl, your actions are a violation of trade. For this you have earned the unending enmity of the Amnion. Our defensives Tranquil Hegemony and Calm Horizons will pursue you until you have been destroyed."

    Nasir barked mad laughter. "Unending my ass! It's about to end in another five minutes if you don't give me back Agron!"

    Hearing Laeta groan behind him, Nasir was forced to turn away from the console. The command three was struggling to gain her feet. He advanced on her, and reached down to grab her chin. Forcing her face up to him, Nasir raised his fingers to his lips, asking her for quiet. She nodded once, still too woozy to stand or fight him. 

    "Nasir MonrHyl," came the alien voice once more. "Your captain awaits you outside your airlock. You will be permitted to take him aboard. Once you are far enough away from this space station to render null any damage to it, you will be hunted down. You have been warned." The speakers went dead, and Nasir gave a shout of triumph.

    Dashing from the auxiliary bridge,  he took the fastest route he knew to the airlock, his heart pounding in his chest. He made it there just as the door hissed open, and a tense Agron stormed through. Before Nasir knew what was happening, Agron had moved to stand in front of him, his hands locked a round the smaller man's shoulders. Green eyes searched brown ones, desperate for an answer, but frightened of it at the same time. 

    "What the hell is wrong with you? Why did you do that?" Agron demanded forcefully. 

    Nasir's didn't get a chance to reply, because Pup came barrelling down the hall, eyes wide and gasping for breath. "Agron, we've got the parts installed. Lucius said some of the tests are just coming up blank, and he can't figure out why, but that we're ready as we'll ever be."

    "Agron, are you on board? We have to go, now! Get to the bridge, I'm preparing to disengage," Mira called out over the speakers.

    Handing Pup his impact pistol, Agron gestured at Nasir. "Take him back to him cabin. In fact, we're probably going to have to accelerate fairly quikcly here, so you better stay in there with him. For fuck's sake, don't talk to him, and keep that gun on him at all times. If he makes a move, shoot him."

    Not waiting for Pup's response, Agron ran off in the direction of the lift, heading for the bridge. He felt alive and on fire; he lived for these moments, when the danger level was high and he was fighting for his life. Maybe it was because then he could almost see Duro beside him, the light to Agron's darkness, the calm to balance out Agron's rages. Now without his brother and without his lover, the only thing Agron had left once more was his ship, and he wasn't about to give that up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I had originally written this chapter with Agron forgiving Nasir immediately, but I thought maybe Agron needed to see Nasir do something big for him first, to give him a reason to believe in him again. The preceding chapter is the result.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time again to check in with some of the other players in our game...

  
  
    Ashur Thermopyle woke up many times and remembered none of them. He was trapped in the nightmare he had spent his life fleeing, and there was nothing he could do to escape it.

    He didn't wake while he was frozen of course, all that came after he and Milos Taverner had crossed the gap back to UMCPHQ with Sura Donner. As the surgeons worked on him, he was occasionally allowed to drift back to consciousness so they could test their work. The pain he felt was so intense that he blocked it all out.

    He didnt know they peeled his flesh back like a rotten piece of fruit to install lasers on the bones of his fingers. Nor was he aware that his hips, knees and shoulders were dismantled and reinforced to triple their original strength. A long casing was put in place to protect his spine, and a thin hard plate was molded over his ribs to shield his heart and lungs.

    He was ignorant of the fact his eyes were removed and fitted with scanners that were then wired to his optical nerves, allowing him to see electromagnetic waves and infrared. He had no way of knowing that zone implants were installed in his brain; not just one, but several, that when activated would control him with precision and finesse.

    The operations took weeks, and during that time, the surgeons transformed him in their own way as surely as an Amnion mutagen would have. He heard the words in is head even though he could not wake. -You have been changed. Your new name is Joshua. That is also your access code. Say the name to yourself, and your new purpose will become clear.-

    Ashur resisted for days, until the pain and the fear became to much for him, and he accepted his new reality. The UMCP had turned him into some kind of fucking cyborg, a tool for their own ends, made him as powerless as he had made Nasir.

    Interrogations resumed, but this time the questioning was completely internal. In fact, no humans were ever present as his computer ran the inquiries. It simply elicited the answers and recorded them.

    -What happened to Starmaster? Self-destruct

    -Who did it? Nasir MornHyl

    -Why? Gap sickness

    -How did you make him stay with you? Zone implant

    -Where is the control? Got rid of it

    It was the truth, as far as the computer could tell. At least he had not betrayed Nasir in this. Ashur wasn't afraid of revealing the information about the zone implant. It was too late for the cops to execute him now, especially not after all the money they had spent to turn him into what he was.

    Then one day Gannicus Lebwohl came to visit him, and even though Ashur had never laid eyes on the man before, he knew without question who it was. He also knew that Gannicus was the one responsible for the things that had been done to him.

    Gannicus wore a disreputable lab coat, and his long, blond-streaked, hair hung loose to hs shoulders. He walked like he wasn't entirely sober, but he still projected an air of deadliness and madness. The first day he came in, he stayed only a short time, and didn't directly look at Ashur once. By the fifth visit, it would seem Gannicus Lebwohl had decided his new toy was ready to test out, and so he came in at night, dismissing the technicians and coming to stand in front of Ashur.

    Smiling, he raised the control and pressed a few buttons.Involuntarily, Ashur stood from the bed and spread his arms out to either side of himself. Gannicus pressed a few more buttons, and Ashur's mouth dropped open and he stuck out his tongue.

    Someone knocked softly on the door. Without turning from Ashur, Gannicus called out, "Come."

    Two people walked in the room, closing the door behind them. Ashur instantly recognized Sura Donner, but he'd never seen the man with her before. He had close cropped, brown, hair, and  blue eyes, and a smile Ashur loathed on sight, the smile of a predator. Sure of himself, he moved to stand with Sura and Gannicus, and when he did, Ashur was able to read his nametag. Gaius Glaber, Protocol DIrector, UMCP.

    "Are we certain he's safe to be around?" asked Glaber.

    "Gaius, he'd stand like that until he died, unless I instruct him otherwise," chuckled Gannicus. Turning to face his two companions, he filled them in on the latest news regarding Ashur, or Joshua as they were now calling him. "He'll be tested further of course, but I don't foresee any problems."

    "When? When is he going to be ready?" the ED Director demanded.

    Gaius smirked at Sura, and replied, "And what's your hurry? We've been waiting a long time for this. We can wait a little longer."

   Sura Donner didnt' have time for the game Glaber and Lebwohl were playing. "I seem to recall you saying the exact same thing to Gannicus about the immunity drug - and we're still waiting on that,'' she retorted. This whole situation was turning her stomach. She wanted Ashur deployed, and yesterday. "Have you read his interrogation transcripts? Do you understand what he's done to him?"

    "Him?" questioned Glaber. Gannicus' eyes brightened, but he kept his mouth shut.

    "He gave him a zone implant,  so he could abuse and rape him. He broke him!" she shouted. "And then he gave that boy the control, after he'd gotten him so addicted to it the kid couldn't live without it!"

    Ashur screamed obscenities at them in his own mind. He had no secrets anymore. All his knowledge was laid bare for them all to see, thanks to the fucking computers he was connected to. Breaking his promise to Nasir filled him with rage and shame like he had never known, even though he was certain he had never given up that little tidbit.

    "Wait a minute. How do you know that?" Glaber questioned.

    Sura paid him no attention. "Now he's owned by a man who probably isn't much better than Thermopyle here, and if he found that control, MornHyl is finished. That kid is one of my people. His parents were my friends, and I want him back!" The ED Director was shaking in indignation, appalled that she had gone along with the plan in the first place. True, they hadn't left her much choice, but she still hated the fact that she had been complicit in Nasir's ruin.

    "I asked you a question! How do you know he gave MornHyl the control to his zone implant?" Gaius repeated, clearly detesting being ignored.

    As one, Sura and Gannicus turned on Glaber. "Because, Capua Station Security did not find it. Not on him, not on his ship, nor anywhere along his route from Bright Beauty to Ludus," Gannicus explained, as though he were speaking to a child.

    "But, things like this cannot happen! If the word ever got out, one of our own, gap sick, destroying his own ship, then forcibly given a zone implant and left in the care of an illegal! People are going to want to know how we could have let something like this occur. Joshua has to get this boy back, before he starts talking to the wrong people." Glaber looked from Gannicus to Sura, shaking his head in disbelief.

    "I understand your concerns," Gannicus replied placatingly. "But both of you must realize the position we are in. We, the people in this room, along with one other, allowed this to happen. Fuck, we encouraged it. We needed it to happen so the Preempt Act could pass, and MornHyl was the price we had to pay for that. Personally, I think we made a mistake. The boy should have been put down. And Captain Niklaus is a rogue, he doesn't adhere to any rules. He tells us he's going to do one thing, and he usually winds up stabbing us in the back. Together, those two are going to cause more trouble than they resolve. And one more thing. I don't think Agron is abusing your boy. The lumbering oaf has most likely gone and fallen in love with the little bastard." Gannicus said this last with a sardonic laugh, and irritated Sura to no end.

    Gaius broke in, "Count on my support, Donner. I think we have to make the attempt to rescue Nasir. If it ever got out that we basically sold him to Niklaus, and did nothing to help him, it'd be a disaster."

    "And what if Spartacus decides it's not worth the risk?" came Gannicus' reply.

    "I'll go over his head. Spartacus Warden may be the head of the UMCP, but remember, we're owned by the United Mining Companies. We're a private police force, and we all have to answer to someone." Glaber's voice had a petulant tone, and both Sura and Gannicus looked away from him. It was times like this that the differences between them threatened to tear their whole organization apart.

    "You mean go over his head like you did with the immunity drug?" Sura threw out. "Besides, you all don't know Spartacus as well as I do. He wouldn't put this mission above the life of one of his people. Neither he nor I like playing this dirty, something the two of you seem quite comfortable with!"

    Glaber rolled his eyes and smirked at her. "Please, don't go all virtuous on us now. You've got just as much blood on your hands as the rest of us. Maybe even more."

    "There are things neither of you understand, here," Gannicus interrupted.  "Joshua's programming has been written into the datacore we will place in his brain shortly. It will not permit him to act in any way that violates his programming. He will be allowed to do anything he deems fit, as long as it fits within the parameters of his instructions."

    "Unfortunately, there isn't any way for us to be able to anticipate every possible situation he could come up against. The solution we have for this is that Joshua will not work alone. He will be paired with a partner. This partner will appear to be his subordinate, but will in reality have to ability to ammend the programming as needed. If that partner speaks the codes, Joshua's computer will recognize his voice, and the new instructions can be added in minutes."

    Gaius was quickly losing his patience with this while situation. "Well don't drag it out Lebwohl. Tell us who it is so we can get out of here. This place makes my skin crawl."

    "It's Milos Taverner," Gannicus stated with a sly smile.

    "Taverner?" Glaber spat out. "Have you completely fallen from reason? You're going to trust this mission to a traitor like that? He already sold out Capua Station. All we had to do was wave enough credits in his face. How do we know he won't sell us out to the highest bidder, too?"

    Gannicus was unperturbed. "First of all, a datacore is unalterable. Milos can't just issue instructions that run counter to Joshua's programming. Every instruction he gives, every single word he utters in Joshua's presence will be recorded. Plus we have seized all his assets, all the accounts he thought were safely hidden are now in our hands and we will drain them if he does not cooperate."

    "In any case, regardless of your objections, you have to take into account for credibility. Joshua's partner must be someone who will be seen as Ashur's subordinate. The Captain Thermopyle that is well known on Capua Station and Billingate would never serve under another. And no agent of ours would be able to stomach having to take orders from Ashur in public, regardless of what happens once inside the airlock of a ship."

    "No, Gannicus. You can't give a known traitor control over a weapon like this." Sura spoke calm, but inside she was seething.

    "It's already been decided. Spartacus approved the order weeks ago." He paused, then continued happily. "I am proud to say the idea was mine. I think he's an excellent choice."

    Through his teeth, Gaius gritted. "Gannicus, you're a shit."

    Gannicus narrowed his eyes at him, and retorted, " I suppose it wouldn't surprise you to know I hold you in similar esteem."

    A flush covered Gaius' face. "Let's go, Sura. I'm going to see Spartacus. I'd like you at my side when I do."

    Sura turned one last scathing glance at Gannicus, and then swept from the room.

    "And when Spartacus refuses to alter his decision," he called after them, "you will again attempt to 'go over his head' . This time, you won't succeed. These waters are much deeper than you know. If you're not careful, you will drown in them."

    Sputtering, the Protocol Director hurried after Sura Donner.  When they were gone, Gannicus spent some time playing with Ashur before  allowing him to go to bed. Ashur did his best to ignore the humiliation. Afterall, he had no other choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will take us back to Agron and Nasir, as the re-encounter between the three men draws near.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agron's trust issues have gotten in the way of his relationship with Nasir. Will they be able to reconcile or will this tear them apart for good?

  
      
    When Captain's Fancy hit the gap, she began to come apart. As soon as he had achieved the velocity he wanted, Agron engaged his newly repaired gap drive.The stress immediately started ripping her into nonexistence. Lucius Caelius was the one who saved them all, essentially because he panicked. Within a millisecond of Agron engaging the gap drive, Lucius was hitting his overrides. The ship wasn't ready, he hadn't had enough time to make sure everything was in working order.

    It must have been the combination of Amnion and human parts that allowed Captain's Fancy to retain integrity. She came out of gap with her drive fried, but also traveling faster than any human ship should have been able to. There was no g involved, the ship was moving through space in it's own plane almost. Hours later, after getting reports from everyone on duty, and with nothing to do but wait till they reentered human space, Agron chose to go to Nasir.

    When he walked in the room, he was not surprised to find both Nasir and Pup sleeping. That kid was useless, and sometimes Agron regretted the day he'd allowed him onboard. They'd had to burn for a little while before risking the gap drive. Mira had sent the boys a warning over the com system. Nasir  must have been using the fucking zone implant. The boy had left the control on the end table, no longer needing to hide it and knowing that Agron would come to find him once the immediate danger had passed.

    Walking over to Pup, he nudged the kid with the toe of his boot. "Hey, kid, Mira is looking for you. I suggest you go and find her. Don't wanna keep her waiting." The boy nodded and stood to leave. He was almost out the door when he turned back and handed Agron the impact pistol, who accepted it wearily and waved Pup away. Tired, and angry, but needing to speak to Nasir, Agron first dropped the pistol onto one of the chairs, then picked up the implant control with obvious distaste. After studying it for a moment, he located the button that would turn the thing off, and he pressed it, setting the black box back down hurriedly. The thing had felt hot in his hand, like some evil, malevolent creature, probably because he knew what it had been used for and by whom.

    Slowly Nasir opened his eyes and looked around. Agron sat down on the edge of the bed heavily, his shoulders slumped and his face bearing all the telltale signs of exhaustion. "Are you awake?" he questioned.

    "Yes," answered Nasir as he raised himself to a sitting position behind Agron, taking a chance and pressing his warm body up against Agron's back, who remained as stone. "What happened? Are we ok?"

    Agron let out a shaky breath and  passed his hand over his face. "The parts we got from the Amnion did something to the ship. Lucius says we're moving faster than our sensors can register, and somehow we're doing it all without heavy g. They cheated me. Those gap components weren't flawed, they were actually designed to fail. Even if I had stayed behind on Enablement, you would have still been dead, because the Amnion wanted to get rid of us."

    "But why would they do that?" asked Nasir, bewildered and confused.

    "I didn't cheat them, not really. I gave them my blood just like I said I would. I never promised them they would find the answers they were looking for. And your... implant," he sneered the word, "kept you sane. Even though I didn't know about it, they are assuming that I meant to cheat them first. It's complicated. I think maybe they just didn't want it to get around that I'd dealt with the Amnion twice and had gotten everything I wanted out of the bargain while they got nothing. Wouldn't be good for business, I guess."

    Mind racing, Nasir began to formulate conclusions. If the Amnion purposely gave them faulty parts, they must already assume Captain's Fancy was wiped out. They were safe! Billingate wasn't that far away. By the time those bastards realized what really happened, the ship would be back in human space.

    "Believe it or not, I am grateful to you for what you did. You saved my life. I want so much to believe you. Swear to me that this is where you want to be, Nasir. There is nothing I won't do for you, but I need to know that you really want me, that you love me. Right now I feel like you've been lying to me from the moment I saw you with Thermo-pile. All those months we spent together, the first time we made love, I thought you really gave yourself to me. But you didn't. You were just using me, the same way that woman used Duro."

     Rivers flowed from Agron's sad, green eyes. It broke Nasir's heart to know that he had caused his lover so much pain. Every explanation sounded like a hollow excuse in his mind, but he had to try anyway. "The truth is, I was afraid at first that you'd be no different than him. I though if you knew about my zone implant, you'd take the control from me and use it to hurt me. Somewhere along the way, I realized how wrong I was. But I was afraid to tell you the truth because I thought I might lose you. But I swear to you, my love for you is real."

    Turning Agron's face to his, Nasir brought their lips together in a timid kiss. He wrapped his arms around the larger man's neck, the two of them fitting together so perfectly. Nasir closed his eyes, and breathed in Agron's familiar scent. Slowly, the desperation slipped away from him, replaced by a hunger for his lover's touch, and he lay his body down on the bed, pulling Agron down on top of him.

    Agron allowed himself to melt into Nasir's kiss, a more than willing participant as his tongue licked along Nasir's bottom lip. A soft moan escaped Nasir as he allowed Agron entrance to his mouth. Those kisses always ignited a fire inside Nasir, and he forgot what it was like to kiss any man but Agron.

    Agron held himself over Nasir, a glint in his eye, "Nasir, I don't know if we should-"

    But Nasir cut him off by arching up against him, showing him just how much he did want him. "I need this, Agron," he murmured, and pulled Agron closer, their hips pressing together.

    Quicker than expected, Agron had Nasir's arms pinned over his head, and proceeded to kiss him again. Skilled lips worked their magic, gentle and rough at the same time. Agron's fingers danced across an olive-skinned chest, then dipped lower over the taut muscles of Nasir's abdomen. His mouth travelled to his small lover's neck, biting down on the tender flesh. Lower still, and Nasir let loose a moan that Agron responded to with one of his own, as he rolled Nasir's nipples between his teeth.

    As he licked a path down the middle of Nasir's stomach, the younger man gasped and arched his back up into that tongue. Long fingers traced Nasir's length before sliding into his boxers, and wrapping around his cock, stroking him, while the other hand pushed the offending garment down. Nasir kicked the boxers off as soon as they were down below his knees, then spread his legs to allow Agron to move between them.

    Blindly, Nasir groped for the lube the always kept nearby, passing it down to Agron, who poured some onto his fingers liberally. The larger man moved to straddle one of Nasir's thighs, his hand dipping down to his entrance. A moan was torn from Nasir's throat as a single finger was pushed inside him, sliding in slowly. Reaching forward, his hand grasped Agron's member, hot flesh against his warm palm.

    Groaning his pleasure, Agron's cock twitched in Nasir's hand, and the look of bliss on the younger man's face made Agron pump his finger in and out faster. "You are so fucking beautiful..." Agron whispered, but Nasir could only gasp as he felt another finger being worked inside of him, brushing against his prostate. For a few moments he gave himself entirely to the overwhelming sensations, and only Agron's fevered whispers could penetrate the haze. "Are you ready my love?"

    "Yes," Nasir gasped. Agron pulled his fingers slowly out of Nasir, who whined at the sudden absence. Then, he felt the head of Agron's cock against his hole, pressing insistently. Pushing himself down, he whimpered as he was breached, his muscles there being stretched further by the thickness that was his lover. His entire body shuddered, crying out loudly when Agron pushed his cock in the rest of the way, his rhythm tantalizingly slow.

    He kissed Nasir's neck while he moved over him, the muscles in his back flexing beneath his little man's hands. His thrusts began to speed up, the heat and the tightness pushing him closer to the edge. Agron's wrapped his fingers around Nasir's beautiful, leaking cock, stroking him purposefully. The smaller man's breaths came in gasps, his fingernails digging into the skin of Agron's perfect ass. It didn't take long  before Nasir , shooting streams of thick, hot come all over his own stomach, and Agron's hands, that continued to stroke him through it, wringing every last drop from him.

    Head bent forward, Agron's body shuddered as he thrust deeply a few more times, then went rigid as his climax hit him hard. He pumped into Nasir, filling him with his come as he did. Both sated, Agron rested his forearms on either side of Nasir's head, careful not to catch his hair. He nuzzled the young man's neck a collarbone gently, closed his eyes, and allowed himseld to revel in the moment. Shakily, he pulled out of Nasir and kissed his lips lightly. "I love you," Agron breathed against Nasir' mouth.

    Nasir swallowed that breath, and let loose one of his own, "I love you, too."  
\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Morning came, and with it, a whole new host of problems. Chiefly, how would Agron's crew react to Nasir after he had just threatened to blow them all to bits? Then there was the matter of Billingate. Quint Batiatus was a guy with his fingers in all the right pies, namely the Amnion. It was entirely possible that as soon as Captain's Fancy came within range, he'd send a gap courier drone straight to Forbidden Space with the news.

    The first problem they could solve with Agron and Mira vouching for Nasir. The command two had understood why Nasir had made the choices he had, and might have been kicking herself for not thinking of it first. Eventually, everyone would have to accept things, or they'd find themselves out of a job after their next docking. Nasir went one further. He wanted Agron to tell everyone he had been in on it all along. Make people believe it had been a scam from the start. That kind of story was definitely one people could believe about the daring Agron Niklaus.

    Another thing Agron didn't like one bit, but that Nasir was adamant about  was staying on Mira's watch. Agron wanted Nasir with him, so he could watch over him and make sure nobody gave him shit. "Mira is perfectly capable of controlling her crew, Agron. There is nothing to worry about, and besides, it isn't fair to Pietros." Reluctantly, Agron acquiesced to Nasir's demands, but warned him that if even one person stepped one toe out of line, the deal was off. Fuck what was fair to Pietros or not!

    Agron left for the bridge, and made Nasir promise he wouldn't leave his room until his shift. The big man even brought him breakfast in his cabin, which made Nasir smile more than a little. When the hour for him to report for duty came, however, he found that some of his bravery had evaporated. More than anything, he wanted to make use of his zone implant, but now was not the time. Agron's trust in Nasir was too fragile, and he wouldn't understand. The last thing they needed right now was to go to war with one another.

    When he crossed the length of the bridge, Agron met him with an encouraging smile, then proceeded to glare daggers at everyone else. Nasir was the last of Mira's crew to arrive, and except for Pietros and Agron, all the other number ones had already left the bridge. With the stares he was receiving from his crewmates, it was obvious Agron hadn't told them Nasir would be allowed back on duty.

    Someone blurted out, "You've gotta be fucking shitting me! Him?"

    His gaze flicking around the bridge, Agron answered smoothly, "You're going to work with him, and you're going to like it."

    Nemetes, the helm two, argued. "But what about that stunt he pulled on Enablement? If you let him anywhere near the system he could still blow us up!"

    "I explained to my watch. Now I'll explain it to you," Agron retorted. "The self-destruct has been dismantled. It served its purpose. We don't need it anymore." He gave them all a self-satisfied grin, and let his words sink in.

    "Holy crap!" Pietros breathed. "You set it all up!"

    Both Agron and Nasir simply smiled at one another, and that was all the answer the crew needed. It was obvious they were already piecing the story together to begin telling once they reached Billingate. Rising up from his command seat, Agron moved to place a warm kiss on Nasir's lips, before nodding once at Mira. "You're on. Monitor everything. We don't need any surprises at this velocity." To Nasir he added, "Try and analyze what exactly is going on with the ship right now. You've got the science data, and Lucius has already sent you what engineering's got. If we could understand this, we might be able to control it. Maybe even do it at will."

    Nasir accepted his order with a grin of his own. This was Agron's way of letting everyone know just one more time how much he trusted his little man.

    Despite this, however, Nasir was in trouble. His head throbbed, and at times his figners felt so numb he couldn't even feel the board in front of him. His vision slid in and out of focus and his stomach clenched.

    Addiction. This must be what it feels like, he thought. He had pushed himself one too many times beyond his limits, and this was the cost. His body needed time to adjust to functioning on its own once more.

    He had to do better. He had to at least try. At one point he thought he was about to faint, when, as if by magic, Pup appeared at this side, carrying a mug of coffee and a plate with a sandwich on it. Nasir could have wept in gratitude at that moment.

    "Lucius," the boy muttered, "he said you'd probably forgotten to eat . He sent this for you."

    Dear, old, sweet Lucius, always looking out for him. Even when he hadn't known him at all, he had extended his hand in kindness to Nasir. And Nasir had paid him back with the threat of death. Even after all of that, the older gentleman was still taking care of him,  and Nasir felt no small amount of shame for the fact he placed so little value on that  man's life. He took the coffee, and hiding behind his hair, whispered, "Gratitude."

    "Fuck, if I'd known I could get my meals delivered just by threatening to blow up the whole ship, I'd have done it ages ago," Nemetes drawled sarcastically. Pup shot him a dirty look as he departed, and the rest of the crew snorted laughter.

    Nasir ate and drank, and by measure, some of the life seemed to return to him. He pulled up the information he needed to begin analyzing it all together, and then noticed Agron had sent him a readout of a message he had sent to UMCPHQ. It had been aimed at the nearest listening post with the use of Nasir's security codes.

    Agron had sent out a demand for help. He had reported their position, destination, speed, and informed them, without explanation of course, that he was possibly being pursued by Amnion warships. He reminded the UMCP that they couldn't afford to let the Amnion get ahold of Captain's Fancy, and requested a destroyer be dispatched to aid them in escape.

    When the arrival of Laeta and her crew signaled the end of second watch, Nasir noticed Agron had come to accompany him back to his cabin. He looked rested, and less stressed out than he had that morning. Agron bent and pressed his forehead to Nasir's, holding them that way for a moment, not caring that all eyes were on them.

    Nemetes muttered as he passed, "I sure hope he's fucking worth it."

    "You'll never know,"Agron responded harshly, before taking Nasir's hand and tugging him away. Nasir turned and made an obscene gesture at Nemetes, while the rest of the crew had a good laugh at the man's expense.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that they've angered the Amnion, Agron, Nasir, and the rest of the crew of Captain's Fancy must find a way to keep themselves alive.

  
  
    Sleep had not come easily for Agron that night. His little man had drifted off in the middle of a kiss, and Agron had pulled the covers over him, and remained listening to his steady breathing for a long time afterward. It seemed as though he had just closed his eyes when Laeta's voice over the intercom yanked him back.

    "Agron." Laeta's usual calm was replaced by tension. "You're wanted on the bridge."

    He was already up and pulling on his clothes as he asked, "What's happening?"

    "We've got company," the command three reported. "Amnion warship, she came out of the gap right on the edge of our scan. She's parked right between us and Billingate."

    Nasir, still fully dressed, came awake at her words, and he hit the door at a run just behind Agron. Together, they hurried through Captain's Fancy to the bridge.

    Relief washed over Laeta's face as they arrived. She had never been the kind of woman who lacked confidence in her abilities, yet it was clear she did not want to be in command of the ship in this situation.

    Agron walked right past her and sat in his command seat. "Status," he snapped.

    Laeta pointed at one of the screens. "Scan data isn't very good on her yet. She only showed up about five minutes ago. We're also still having a hell of a time sifting through all the data we're getting. Our system is just not designed for this kind of speed. But she is Amnion, that much I'm sure of. Emission signature resmbles one of those warships back at Enablement. And unless we shift, we're going to hit her, soon."

    Turning to his com officer, Agron called out, "Are they sending?"

    The man at com three looked terrified, but he managed to mumble, "I don't think so. If they are, the computer hasn't picked it up yet."

    Laeta explained that they couldn't even be sure which direction she was traveling, towards them or towards Billingate. Even if the other ship had started transmitting as soon as she came out of the gap, Captain's Fancy might not even have received it yet. The upside to that was that the Amnion ship was probably having just as much trouble tracking them at their present velocity.

    Now Agron was ready to issue orders. "Nasir, take the data board." Grinning, he threw out, "Sorry, Licinia, but I want somebody there who knows what they're doing." Agron hit the command station intercom, and called for Saxa and Lugo. "Right now would be best," he added.

    Once Nasir was seated, he began tapping at the keyboard, calling up and analyzing the data. Shortly, Saxa and Lugo both appeared, and moved to take their stations as well. Lugo was still muttering to himself as he placed the pick up on his head, and immediately started filtering the noise Captain's Fancy was receiving.     

    "You had better be on point. We're going to have to make decisions fast, but until we know what they want, we can't decide what to do about it," Agron warned.

    Saxa didn't need orders - she was already working. Matter cannon, industrial lasers, torpedoes, they were all being primed practically the moment she sat down.

    "I've got them, Agron," said Nasir in a rush. "They're going the same direction we are, but much slower. We're overtaking them fast. These guys are slow to begin with. That class of ship uses a low thrust, and they're not very agile."

    Abrubtly, his mouth went dry. He had to force himself to swallow, and continue on. "The bad news is that she's big enough to carry super-light proton cannon. She's got a lot of spare power since she doesn't have to use much on her weak thrusters. If it comes down to a fight, our speed and agility is the only thing we've got on our side. We can 't survive a direct hit from that kind of weaponry. No ship can."

    His mother's ship hadn't, he thought to himself. She'd been killed by a ship with a cannon just like that one. Nasir raised a hand to wipe his brow, his skin suddenly felt cold and clammy. If they were forced into evasive maneuvers, he'd probably pass out. Withdrawal again.

    Lugo's voice called him back as he shouted, "They're sending!"

    "On speaker," Agron barked.

    Static crackled throughout the message. "Amnion defensive Calm Horizons to human vessel Captain's Fancy. You re required to decelerate. Amnion requirements have not been satisfied."

    Agron chewed on his bottom lip for a second. "What's the lag?" he demanded. "How far away?''

    "Five minutes," Lugo answered.

    Briefly, Agron considered his options. He couldn't claim damage to the thrust braking system from the faulty gap drive. The Amnion had designed those parts. They knew exactly what kind of damage they would or wouldn't have caused. He contemplated bluffing. Claim they'd already sent messages to Billingate, and that if something happened to them, all of human space would know the Amnion had dealt dishonestly. But that might convince them they had nothing left to lose if their reputation was already damaged.

    "Lugo, copy this. 'Captain Agron Niklaus to Calm Horizons. I regret the satisfaction of your requirements was prevented due to the action of my subordinate, Nasir MornHyl. However, I refuse to decelerate. My own requirements were not satisfied. Because of the damage to our gap drive, your requirements are no longer of consequence. We will alter course to avoid collision.' Send that."

    To the man at the helm station, Agron called for a course correction of one degree, soft. Instinctively, Nasir clenched his hands down on the edge of his console, waiting for the change in the gravity.

    "You all right, Nasir?" asked Agron.

    He nodded, closing his eyes momentarily. He forced himself to steady his breathing, and wiped his sweaty palms on his pant leg.

    A plan was now fully formed in Agron's head. They would need static mines, twenty or thirty at least. He relayed his instructions to Saxa. Prime the mines, be ready to launch on his command.

    Nasir had stopped listening. His throat was getting drier by the second, and he was having trouble breathing. It was that damn cannon the Amnion had, it scared the shit of him. Coupled with his zone implant withdrawal, he was heading towards a full blown panic attack.

    "Agron, they've shifted to compensate for our course correction," called scan. Which was followed promptly by Lugo, "Incoming message."

    "Give me audio," instructed Agron.

    "Calm Horizons to Captain's Fancy, you are ordered to decelerate. If you do not comply, you will be destroyed. You still transgress Amnion space. Therefore all Amnion requirements are of consequence. If you wish to depart human space, you will decelerate and hand over either yourself, or your companion Nasir MornHyl. After this exchange, your ship will escorted to the border of human space."

    "What's the lag?" Agron demanded as soon as the transmission had stopped.

    Lugo was quick with a response of nine minutes there and back. Five minutes for Calm Horizons to get their transmission, four  to get the answer.

    "So they're committed to their course for at least four minutes?"

    "Right," said Lugo and Nasir in unision.

    "Ok, Lugo, copy this and then transmit immediately. 'Captain Agron Niklaus to Calm Horizons, fuck off.' " "Saxa, you ready?" he asked, and the blond woman nodded once in the affirmative. "Don't launch yet, just standby."

    At once, he faced his helm three. "All right, Ace. Do it again, gentle course correction, right back the opposite way. Put us back on course for Billingate." He was confident they could pull this off. Even f the Amnion warship tried to make a move back, they'd be too slow. Agron was using their first course correction against them. He'd put a juke move on them, and was preparing to blow right by.

    With a shout like a crack of thunder, Agron pointed at Saxa, "Now! Launch only, hold for my signal to detonate!"

    In a lower voice, he addressed the crew. "We're committed. Now would be the time to offer up a prayer to the gods if you hold any beliefs. Nasir, figure out how much time that big bastard needs to get into firing position. Once they see us shift, they'll realize they can't catch us. I need you to calculate their best shot at us.  Scan, I need to know the exact instant they begin to turn. Ace, when I give the word, give me staight one-g braking thrust for exactly ten seconds. Then cut it. Saxa, the instant those ten seconds are up, detonate."    

    Nasir was having difficulty sitting up straight. He was trying to speak, but his mouth wouldn't work. Dependent on artificial control, his brain was doing a bad job of functioning independently. Agron needed him, he was counting on him, and Nasir was falling apart.

    Misreading the crisis entirely, Agron yelled in sudden alarm. "Nasir, don't touch your board!"

    This wasn't gap-sickness, but he didn't have a chance to explain before Agron reached him. The large man caught hold of Nasir's slim wrists, jerking them away from the console, and pushing him back in his seat.

    "I'm all right," Nasir whispered.

    "No, you're not," he answered.

    "It's not gap-sickness. It's just withdrawal. I can do my job, Agron."

    "The hell you can!" Agron's face was turning red, and his eyes were full of worry.

    "Four minutes." Nasir pulled the number from the readouts. "They'll need four minutes to haul that tub around. I can do this. I can put up a simulation countdown."

    Agron looked down at him for a couple of seoconds longer, then nodded, and released his wrists. He leaned close to Nasir, pressing their foreheads together in a familiar gesture. Then he stood up and moved back to his command seat, leaving Nasir to do his work.

    They needed a simulation countdown, an estimate of the exact moment Calm Horizons would fire. Nasir began calling the data to his board. Factor in the constants, everything they knew about Amnion warships. Almost there, gather the data, initiate the calculations. Hit all the correct keys, please.

    "Got it," he pronounced. "It's on screen. I've even added in an automatic self-correction. The computer will run a constant test, and adjust the timer as needed."

    One minute thirty seconds. That's how much time they had left. Nasir seemed to have given up on breathing. He looked around and found Agron's eyes, locking on to them like they were a lifeline. They were confident and in control and Nasir had never loved him more. He'd put  his life in Nasir's hands, given his complete trust, and Nasir's heart swelled with pride. He mouthed the words 'I love you' and Agron nodded, his answer plain in his eyes.

    There were still twenty seconds on the timer when Agron yelled, "Now!" to Ace on helm, never tearing his gaze from his lover's face. Ace hit the braking thrust and they all lurched forward slightly, the static mines sweeping on ahead. Ten seconds later, Saxa set them off, and space disappeared in a blast of electronic chaos.

    Only a heartbeat or two later, a barrage ripped through the middle of the static. In fact, blinded by her own mines, Captain's Fancy never saw the Amnion fire. They never knew just how narrowly they had been missed. Just as Agron had intended, all Calm Horizons saw was distortion. By the time their sensors sifted through the static to determine the human ship hadn't been hit, Captain's Fancy would be out of their reach.

    "Well," Agron announced grimly, "at least we know they're serious." Somehow, without Nasir noticing, his lover was standing in front of him. "Come on," he said softly. He bent down to unbelt Nasir from his seat. "You can't do anymore here. It's about to be first watch anyway, let Pietros take over. Let me take you back to your cabin."

    Nasir found himself being half-carried away from the bridge as he clung to Agron's neck. When they reached their shared cabin, Agron set him down on the bed and pulled the black box from the nearby drawer.

    "I don't like doing this. As much as I know it's hurting you, I would rather watch you go through withdrawal for awhile than resort to this fucking thing. I can't risk that. You might go crazy, or do something to hurt yourself. But there's going to be heavy g soon, and I don' t know what else to do with you." As Agron reached for the buttons, Nasir put his fingers around his wrist.

    "Wait. Agron, it's a short range transmitter. You can't turn it on and then take it with you. It won't work if you don't leave it here with me."

    Pursing his lips, Agron  nodded, and pressed the buttons that would put Nasir to sleep. He stood and watched as his lover drifted down into unconsciousness. They would need to start breaking in order to be able to dock safely on Billingate. Agron still didn't know how or when the heavy g would begin, or even how long it would last. He pressed a kiss to Nasir's forehead, and then made sure his blankets were sealed around him in his bunk. Agron replaced the control in the end table, and paused to look back at Nasir again. They were still not free and clear yet, but he was willing to do anything it took to make sure that man lying on the bunk stayed alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part II has two more chapters to go. They are already written and will be coming to you soon. Thanks for reading!


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The UMCP's intentions for Ashur are finally made clear.

  
  
    Waiting had never been one of Ashur's virtues, but then again, one would be hard pressed to name even just one. He knew where he was headed now, Billingate, and he was anxious to get the journey underway. He needed to get himself away from UMCPHQ, away from the doctors and techs and programmers, and away from Gannicus Lebwohl, the mad bastard.

    The thought that he was headed to Billingate allowed him to dream of escape. Add to that the fact he would be alone in deep space with no one but Milos Taverner to guard him filled him with hope.

    He wished they would just get it over with already, and send him on his way. Nevertheless, the doctors still had to work to do to ensure their control over him was perfect. They spent long hours measuring the differences in his reactions to simple commands. If they said, "Run,"he could choose whether or not to obey. If they said, "Run Joshua," he ran, controlled by his many zone implants.

    Still other tests involved giving him commands which violated his written programming. "Joshua, break my arm." Even though he struggled to comply, his computer would not allow it. He couldn't damage or hurt anyone known to his programming to be in any way affiliated with the UMCP.

    While Gannicus' people tested Joshua though, Ashur tested himself. His new dimension of sight allowed him to identify and analyze alarms and locks. His lasers could cut through circuitry or doors with ease. He was stronger and faster with his enhancements. If he'd been in control of himself, he could have escaped from his prison without breaking a sweat. But his zone implants held him - he would have to wait.

    Finally, one morning, a single guard came into the room. In his hands was a nondescript shipsuit and a pair of heavy boots. The guard tossed it to him from halfway across the room, then left him alone.

    Whatever Ashur's masters wanted from him, it was about to start. Determined not to show his eagerness, he stood up from the bed slowly, and took his time getting himself into the clothing he had been given. Then he stretched out on the mattress, and folded his hands behind his head as though he were capable of waiting all day.

    He didn't have to wait long however, because less than five minutes later, Sura Donner walked in, Milos Taverner trailing behind her. The man did not look well. His color was off, and the stubble on his cheeks was coming in in patches. A cigarette hung from his lips, the smoke drifting up into his eyes and the ash dropping down the front of his suit.

    Ashur smiled savagely. "Well, don't you look like shit?"

    Milos didn't shift or change his stance in any way. Muttering around his cigarette, he spoke sourly, "Apologize, Joshua."

    Inside, Ashur snarled, but all that came out of his mouth was, "Apologies, Milos. Please forgive me."

    The ED Director held up one hand like a command, and both men fell silent, not even daring to look at one another. In no doubt of her own authority, she told Ashur, "Follow me." Then she turned and walked from the room.

    Though she had not used the codename 'Joshua,' Ashur still obeyed her. As he walked though, he ran possible escape scenarios in his head. The first thing he would need to do was to get rid of Milos. He wasn't sure how he was going to do it, but he had plenty of time to plan.

    In a matter of minutes, Sura had led the two men our of DA's surgical wing and into parts of UMCPHQ neither had ever seen before. Out of DA, across ED, into Admin. She stopped in front of a set of double doors with no identifyng marks. Opening them, she ushered both Milos and Ashur inside.

    Ashur found himself in a room that looked like an interrogation chamber straight out of some film noir. It was lit by a single bulb that hung from the ceiling. There was a long table with four hard chairs around it. The middle of the room was bright, but the corners remained dim and shrouded.

    Sura Donner sat herself at one end of the table, then pointed to the two chairs at either side. Ashur did as he was bidden, but found it hard to wait silently for whatever was about to come next. "Did I tell you how he betrayed Capua Station? How he and Captain Goatfucker set me up to take the fall for something that didn't even happen?"

    "Personally," came a new voice, "I'd be more interested in hearing how your ship's datacore revealed no information on any of the crimes you are known to have perpetrated."

    Ashur jerked his head around to the fourth chair. A man sat there. Ashur had not heard him come in, and he most certainly had not been seated there a moment ago. Yet he was there now. Most likely the darkness of the rest of the room was to allow this man to come and go with as much stealth as he pleased.

    The man looked to be in his early thirties, with reddish brown hair that was styled in an almost buzz cut. His eyes were a piercing, deep blue, and they shone brightly in a rugged, and handsome face. The angles of that face appeared as if they had been machine chiseled. He did not wear a uniform or any other indicator, but Ashur was certain he was staring into the face of Spartacus Warden, UMCP Director.

    In effect, he was the most powerful man in human space. Holt Crassus might have been the CEO of the United Mining Companies, and wielded the political influence and the economic muscle, but the fighting force that protected humanity from the Amion took its orders from Spartacus Warden.

    Ashur was on the verge of hysteria. But he was good when he was terrified, and he answered smoothly, "Most of the time I just interrupted scan. My ship didn't record what she couldn't see." Memories of Bright Beauty gave his voice a reedy quality.

    Spartacus' smile had the edge of a steel sword. "I commend your brilliance, Ashur. Without those glitches, Capua Station Security would certainly have found enough evidence to execute you. And as it happens, we need you. In fact, that need is so great, you'll be leaving within the hour."

    There was a pause while Spartacus waited to see if anyone had anything to say. They didn't. The Director continued. "From here, you will be taken to your new ship. She's a Needle class gap scout. Crew of two, space for eight. We call her Trumpet, and you'll find a complete database under that code name in your programming."

    Ashur resisted the tempatation to call up any information on Trumpet. He couldn't afford to be distracted now.

    Spartacus resumed once more. "You will depart on your mission as soon as you have familiarized yourself with the ship. You already know what the mission is. That is to say, _**you**_ know what it is, Milos.  Ashur, your programming will tell you what you need to know as you go along. But I will say this. I intend for you to destroy the illegal shipyard called Billingate. That is your destination."

    Forcing himself to remain calm, anger flared up inside of Ashur. Destroy Billingate? The mere notion offended him. He depended on places like Billingate. Without them, he would have died long ago. Or been caught and convicted. If Spartacus Warden thought he was going to do his dirty work for him, he was out of his fucking mind!

    "I realize it would be easier to send a destroyer out there and blast that rock to rubble. But our treaties with the Amnion prevent that. Billingate sits just inside the neutral zone, and military action is restricted there. All in all, a covert operation is preferable."

    "With all due respect, Director Warden," interjected Milos.  "I've said this before and I'll say it again. I'm not the right man for this job."

    "Milos, you're the only man for this mission," Spartacus continued smoothly as though he had not been interrupted. "As I'm sure you're aware of, we cannot simply let Ashur Thermopyle loose on his own. There would be too many questions.  How did he get free? Where did he manage to acquire a ship like Trumpet?"

    "You are the only answer. You're going to be his cover. This may not be something you're aware of, but we have already leaked that fact that Capua Station was getting close to uncovering some of your indiscretions. Naturally, you're going to get scared about that, and you're going to break  Ashur out of lockup. You need him to help you get away. Together you will steal Trumpet and run from the UMCP. It's all so believable."

    Milos sat at the table, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, but Ashur had had enough of the bullshit. He wanted to get down to the heart of it all. "We've both been here for months. Now all of a sudden, you're in a fucking hurry? Is any one of you going to tell me why things suddenly got so urgent?"

    In the dimness, Spartacus' mouth twisted. "Events are converging. Everything you need to know is in your datacore, which you will be given access to at the appropriate time. However, I will mention that people you know are involved. Agron Niklaus for one should be arriving at Billingate any time now."

    Calmly, as if the information had no special significance, he added, "He has Nasir MornHyl with him. We don't know exactly where they've been, but it is believed they have spent some time in Forbidden Space. They may even have an Amnion tail on them."

    Ashur sat back in his chair. He didn't give a fuck about Forbidden Space. He cared about Nasir MornHyl. Ashur was alive because he had made a deal with that boy. And from what Spartacus was telling him, Nasir was possibly in danger from the Amnion. How could Niklaus have allowed something like this to happen?

    Without shifting his tone of voice, Spartcus asked Sura to escort Milos to Trumpet. "Remind him of the consequeces if he disobeys his orders. I want to talk to Ashur alone for a few minutes. I'll bring him over when we're done."

    Sura's expression grew cautious. "Do you think that's safe, Spartacus?"

    "Do you think it's not?" he countered.

    At once, she got to her feet, her face looking closed off and hard in the low light. Milos' hands shook and his legs trembled as he stood up. He followed Director Donner as though she were leading him to his own beheading.

    They were almost to the door when Spartacus called out softly to her. "I meant no offense, Sura. But if I am not willing to take a few risks for my convictions, then what kind of a man am I?"

    Sura did not answer, merely holding Spartacus' gaze for a moment before heading out the door. The Director smiled after her, but it wasn't a happy smile.

    Ashur was terrifed of Spartacus Warden. But he also hated him. Hated him and everything his Gods damned organization stood for. That hatred enabled him to look Spartacus in the eye. "You're wasting your time, Director. Didn't you say need was urgent?"

    No answer was forthcoming. He was contemplating his next move. He knew what he had to do, even if it eventually meant his own ruin. He had worked for a man he had no faith in for too long now. Ashur was going to give him the opportunity to change all that.

    "Stasis, Joshua," was all the Director said.

    Panic had hold of Ashur as his zone implants shut him down. Involuntarily, he slumped forward until his head rested on the table.

    Spartacus circled around Ashur, carrying a large box under his arm. His next actions would change the course of events and lives, but it was a responsibility he welcomed.

    There were two ways to look at this. One way was that he had sent Sura away for her own protection. If she knew what Spartacus was about to do, she wouldn't be able to contain her relief, and sooner or later, she'd give it all away. Gannicus finding out what was really going on wasn't the problem. He was dangerous and he took risks, but deep down he was a good man who did the things he did for the right reasons.

    It was Glaber that Spartacus was more worried about. If Sura did anything to make him question the mission, they would all be finished. In fact, they wouldn't even live long enough to know they had been betrayed. That's how powerful and dangerous the man they all worked for was.     

    Spartacus unsealed Ashur's shipsuit, and removed the bandage from his back. Beneath it was the incision they had made in order to place Ashur's datacore. Removing a scalpel from the box, the Director of the UMCP reopened the cut, and peeled back the pad of flesh there. His hands worked swiftly as he disconnected Ashur's datacore from his internal processors, and replaced it with one from the box.

    No hesitation showed in his movements as he rebandaged the wound, and then pulled Ashur's clothing back into place. Spartacus reached forward and grabbed Ashur by the shoulders, pulling him up in his chair before coming around the table to take the seat across from him.

    "Ashur," he began, "I've replaced your datacore. You already know this. Your mind is still alert  even if you are unable to react. The differences between the two are so subtle you won't even notice them until the time is right. Then all will be made clear to you." Something in the Director's tone told Ashur that what he was about to hear was vital information.

    "We've welded you, made you into something both more and less than human at the same time. We have taken away your freedom of choice. And that is not a thing I would wish upon anyone. A terrible crime had been committed against you, and even though you may be the 'scum of the universe,' as Glaber calls you, you do not deserve this."

    "It must stop." Spartacus placed his palms flat on the table. "Crimes like this one, or withholding the immunity drug, they have to stop."

    At last, Spartacus Warden rose to his feet. He picked up his black box and tucked it under his arm, then said, "End stasis, Joshua." Then he escorted Ashur to the docks to join Milos Taverner and Sura Donner onboard Trumpet.


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Agron reveals more of his secrets to Nasir, who is willing to do anything to protect the people he has come to care about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for sexual content in the following.

  
  
    Nasir woke, and felt as though he were dying. The transition from sleep to wakefulness was jarring. His limbs and joints felt worn out, and his skin clammy. He almost wanted to finish dying.  
  
    "Come on," Agron urged. "Wake up, Nasir. That's better," he smiled, as Nasir forced his eyes open.  
  
    The young man had been out too long. He was thirsty, and hungry, and he wanted a shower. Agron leaned down to unseal Nasir from his bunk, then took hold of his arms and pulled him upright. Despite his weakness, Nasir fumbled towards the bathroom.  
  
    Carefully, the larger man stripped Nasir of his shipsuit. He pressed the buttons to activate the jets, and when the water came through warm and soothing, he helped Nasir to stand under the spray. Agron watched as his small lover gulped at the water, letting it fall over him like a gentle rain. He only reached out his hand to touch Nasir's shoulder and remind him not to drink too much at one time or he'd be sick.  
  
    Leaving Nasir to wash his hair, Agron moved to the closet and pulled a clean suit for him, along with fresh undergarments. By the time he came back, Nasir had already turned off the water, and was leaning against the shower wall. Agron handed him a  towel, and left the room so Nasir could dress himself. He was still too weak however, and instead he slipped on only his thick, plush, robe.  
  
    "Now for some food," Agron remarked, as he nodded to the tray on the bedside table. "Sit down. Eat, while I fill you in on everything that's been happening."  
  
    The smell of coffee and hot oatmeal drew Nasir in. Agron stood over him as he tasted the oatmeal- sweet, with a touch of cinnamon, just the way he liked it. Unable to help himself, he smiled, pleased that Agron seemed to know all these tiny little details about him.  
  
    "You can probably guess we're done decelerating. The Bill likes ships to come in slowly, so we're doing that. Right now, I'd say we are about eight hours out of dock."  
  
    "That much braking was hard on everyone. I'm sorry I had to put you out, but I just couldn't figure out what else to do." Agron paused as he considered what to say next. "You've never been to Billingate before, so you're in for a surprise. For one thing, Batiatus has got one hell of an arsenal on that fucking rock. And he's got about five thousand people there working for him too."  
  
    Into his coffee, Nasir muttered, "You mean all working for the Amnion."  
  
    "I wouldn't say that. It's more like they're just taking advantage of what the Amnion are willing to pay. War profiteering is quite the old profession."  
  
    Nasir said nothing, not sure what Agron wanted to hear. He knew Agron had never intended to become an illegal. In some ways, he was a victim of circumstance. The things that had happened to him had changed the man he would become.  
  
    Instead he stated, "Tell me about your deal with the UMCP. What exactly is it you do for Gannicus Lebwohl? I don't understand, Agron. I thought you hated the cops."  
  
    "I don't hate the cops, Nasir. I just have no illusions about what they're really all about." Agron gave a heavy sigh and did his best to make Nasir understand his connection to the UMCP. Gannicus had been the first cop Agron had seen after being rescued all those years ago, back before the man became head of Data Acquisition.  
  
    Agron had been cooperative and helpful, and Gannicus admired him for his ingenuity. Patching that com system back together had been no easy feat. Yet somehow, Agron had managed it. The older man actually tried to talk Agron into joining the UMCP, and for the briefest of moments, Agron had actually considered it. Ultimately though, he knew that kind of life wasn't for him, and he declined Gannicus' offer.  
  
    Gannicus however, had kept tabs on Agron, and he knew all about the younger man's illicit activities. Shortly after his promotion to Director of DA, Gannicus contacted Agron and asked him to do a favor. It was a simple thing really. Buy some "stolen" goods from a known pirate, with credits given to him by the UMCP of course. The plan was that the thief would get caught, and Agron would return the supplies to Gannicus, and keep the rest of the credits.  
  
    After that first time, it had been too hard to say no to Gannicus the next few times he asked. Agron found ways to cheat the UMCP though, taking their money and not always giving them what it was they were after. He knew Gannicus wouldn't take action against him, because they had a mutual respect for one thing, and for another, Gannicus didn't have anyone else that was willing to take the kind of risks Agron was. He always played fast and loose with his life, precisely due to the events in his past.  
  
    Eventually this led to the deal involving the immunity drug. When Lebwohl went back on his word to go public about the drug, Agron had had enough. He had flat out refused to do any more jobs for the cops after that, no matter how good the pay was. In fact, after rescuing Nasir, Agron had received a coded message suggesting that the young Ensign be brought back to UMCPHQ for debriefing and evaluation. He hadn't even bothered to respond to that, not caring one iota what Gannicus or any of the rest of those bastards wanted.  
  
    "So you kept me around just to spite Director Lebwohl?" asked Nasir incredulously.  
  
    "No!" Agron backtracked quickly. "I kept you around because you looked like you needed someone to watch out for you, to protect you. Of course, the fact that you were the most beautiful man I'd ever seen might have played a part."  
  
    Smiling widely, Nasir answered, "I'm glad you didn't send me back to Earth. And for the record, I think you're the most beautiful man I've ever seen, too."  
  
    Agron flashed that electrifying grin of his, and Nasir felt a familiar heat begin to rise in his belly. "Come here," Agron said, indicating with a nod of his head what he had in mind. Walking backwards to the bed, he kicked off his boots and started unsealing his shipsuit.  
  
    Nasir started after Agron, who sat down on the bed with a wicked smile on his face.  The younger man settled on Agron's lap, pressing his lips to his lover's. Agron kissed him back, hard, more forcefully than he ever had, wanting and needing something from Nasir that he could not name. The larger man thread his fingers into Nasir's long, dark, locks, tugging gently. As his little man pushed Agron back towards the bed, Agron sighed deeply. Slowly, reverently, Nasir began removing Agron's clothing, revealing his perfect form. He fixed his mouth to Agron's neck, sucking, and biting as his hands roamed that broad chest, fingers ghosting over Agron's nipples.  
  
    Agron made little whimpering sounds as Nasir used his tongue and teeth. He was wearing only his boxers, and already his cock was straining against the black fabric. Nasir's hands worked their way down Agron's abdomen, his hands slipping beneath the band of Agron's undergarments. Stripping the last of Agron's clothing, he kissed his way down, nudging Agron's muscled thighs open gently. Lips left a trail of wet kisses on Agron's stomach, his hips, his thighs, before kissing the weeping head of Agron's engorged cock, tongue darting out to taste his lover.  
  
    Agron arched his back and growled, because Nasir was lifting Agron's legs up over his shoulders, and burying his face between perfectly sculpted thighs. A low, obscene noise was ripped from Agron's throat as he felt a warm tongue lapping at his entrance. Nasir was working his tongue in ever tightening circles, his hand stroking Agron slowly. Long fingers clutched at the sheets when Nasir pushed his tongue inside Agron's ass, and the larger man squirmed beneath his lover's ministrations.  
  
    "Nasir, please," Agron whispered, " I need you inside me, love..." Nasir moved away reluctantly, licking his lips as he reached for the bottle of lube they kept in the drawer near the bed. Looking into Agron's eyes, he saw an expression that was so full of want and need that he forgot to breathe for a moment. Nasir prepared Agron, pushing his finger in where his tongue had previously been. The larger man panted, and his pupils were blown wide, making his green eyes look almost black. Nasir worked in a second finger, then a third. His fingers brushed against Agron's prostate over and over, and all traces of the commanding captain were gone, leaving only a breathless, writhing, lover beneath Nasir's touch.  
  
    Once he was certain Agron was ready, Nasir positioned himself, and pushed in to Agron's tight, hot channel, feeling Agron contracting around him, his body adjusting to Nasir's girth. He swallowed hard and took a deep breath, forcing himself to be still, and let Agron set the pace. It took all the control he possessed to keep from coming right then, because the smoulder in Agron's eyes was doing delicious things to him.  
  
    Then Agron moved beneath him, tilting his hips upward, and Nasir began to thrust, slow, steady, savoring the sensations. Agron's lips were parted, his breath catching in his throat, and Nasir had never seen anything more beautiful. The heat between them was building, Agron moaning loudly, and Nasir picked up the pace. Green eyes  glazed over, and he shouted Nasir's name out loud, and suddenly he was coming, spurting, hot, sticky, cum all over his stomach, his body tightening around Nasir's. The smaller man pumped in and out a few more times before he reached his climax as well, his balls tightening as he buried himself to the hilt in Agron's heat, coating his walls with his release.  
  
    As he slipped out of Agron, he collapsed on his larger man, licking Agron's essence off his sweat-soaked body. Slowly, he dragged himself up Agron's tall frame, laying his head on his chest, and listened to the sound of his thundering heartbeat.  
  
    After a long moment, he asked timidly, "Agron, are we safe now? Is this the end of it?"  
  
    Agron was silent, and his body tensed slightly before he made an effort to relax. Feigning casualness, he quipped, "You sure know how to ruin a moment, don't you?"  
  
    Nasir wasn't fooled. He knew immediately there was something Agron was keeping from him. He knew the man too well already. "I want to know, Agron. I'm part of this crew too, now."  
  
    A loud huff preceded Agron's words. "I suppose I can't hide anything from you. No, Nasir, we're not safe. Scan already picked up an Amnion vessel adrift next to Billingate. She isn't docked, but she's waiting for someone. My guess is us. They probably sent two ships out, one to try and intercept us, and the other in case the first failed."  
  
    Pushing himself up on his elbows, Nasir looked down at his lover beneath him. "What are we going to do?"  
  
    **_We_** thought Agron, and he allowed a small smile to grace his face before answering. "I'm going to get us into dock, and then have a sit down with them and Batiatus. The Amnion won't want to say too much in front of him, and that may work to our advantage."  
  
    "And if they threaten to fire on us again? What happens then Agron?" Nasir was getting himself worked up now. "You can't take that chance. I want to give myself up. Let Batiatus take me, and allow him to work out some kind of arrangement. Maybe they won't keep me for good. With the zone implant in me, my mind is protected. No tests they do to me can hurt me."  
  
    Agron stood up from the bed, and exploded on his little man. "You can't fucking know that! What if you're wrong? No, I am not allowing it!" As he spoke, he pulled his shipsuit on, and roughly jammed his feet into his boots.  
  
    "Well that's too bad! Nobody is going to get to command me ever again. I make my own choices," Nasir spit back at him.  
  
    "I'm not nobody. I'm your lover, and your fucking captain. Don't forget that. You're part of the crew now too, remember? So learn to take an order!" With that he turned and stormed from the room, leaving Nasir shaking in anger in his bunk.  
  
    That anger though helped to focus him, and gave him plenty of hours to formulate his plan. Having slept for days, he was in no need of rest, and his mind was still sharp. Agron hadn't left the control to the zone implant, but right now Nasir didn't need it.  
  
    It would be a betrayal of Agron's trust, and he knew it. But this was something he had to do. Maybe he wasn't a cop anymore, but he still believed in the ideals his parents had instilled in him. There were good people on this ship. People that he cared about. Most importantly though, Agron was on this ship, and there wasn't a thing in the world Nasir wouldn't do to protect him, even though Agron didn't think he needed protecting.  
  
    Agron hadn't bothered to change his priority codes after Nasir hijacked the ship back on Enablement. There hadn't been time when they were running from the Amnion, and then later, there hadn't seemed to be a need anymore. Nasir was going to use those codes now to program one of the ejection pods. He would place himself inside it, and let the Amnion do their worst. He could think of worse fates than dying to protect people you loved.  
  
    Nasir timed it well. Twenty minutes outside of dock, he left his cabin for what he thought could be the final time, and headed off in the direction of the bay where the escape pods were housed. He didn't need to rush, there was still time.  
  
    The first thing Nasir did was shut off the com, so that no one could hear him was he worked. Turning to the pod board, he began tapping in Agron's priority codes. He wasn't Agron: he couldn't do algorithms in his head, he'd have to estimate. It was the best chance he could give his lover and his friends. He didn't expect to live long enough to find out though. At the last minute he decided to send a coded message to the Amnion ship, posing as Agron, and informed them that Nasir would be handed over to them in the incoming pod.  
  
    Committed to his decision, Nasir climbed inside the pod and allowed it to close over him. He lay on his back, staring at the screens on the inside of the lid. They would give him readouts and let him follow his trajectory, but there would be no changing his mind. The pod wasn't designed to be programmed from the inside. By the time it nosed out of its bay and passed the point of recall, Nasir was offering up a silent prayer to any Gods who would listen that his sacrifice wouldn't be for nothing.  
  
     On the bridge, Agron was shouting, demanding to know who had released one of the ejection pods and why. When he found out who the incompetent fuck was, he would flay them alive.  
  
    "Agron," Pietros said from his data board, "according to all my readouts, you did."  
  
    What the fuck? That wasn't possible. Agron knew he hadn't done anything of the kind. Unless, "Nasir..." he breathed. "Oh no, what the fuck did you do, you crazy little bastard?! He's in there, isn't he? Scan, get me lifesigns!''  
  
    There was no doubt in his mind. Nasir had placed himself inside that pod and had given himself over to the Amnion. Faster than he would have thought possible, Agron's hands flew over his command board. He was overriding the course Nasir had plotted, rerouting the pod's destination. He couldn't call it back, it was too late for that. But he could make sure it didn't fall into his enemy's lap either. Let him end up on Billingate, and in the company of Batiatus. At least then there would be a chance they could still negotiate and get him back.  
  
    "Agron, incoming message," came Lugo's rough voice from the com station. He didn't even wait for Agron to ask for speakers.  
  
    "Amnion defensive Tranquil Hegemony to human vessel Captain's Fancy. You have dealt falsely. Amnion requirements have not been satisfied. You will dock at the human installation called Billingate. If the human male Nasir MornHyl survives impact on Billingate, you will retrieve and deliver him to the Amnion."  
  
    Everyone was watching him. No one spoke. His fury rose inside him like a demonic entity, clawing at his heart. "Tell them we are prepared to dock, and leave it at that. Once you're done with that, tight-beam a message to UMCPHQ. Use Nasir's codes. 'Get me out of this mess. If you don't, the only way I can keep him away from the Amnion is to give up the immunity drug.' Send it, attention Gannicus Lebwohl. If it comes down to a choice between Nasir or the drugs, Nasir wins, hands down."  
  
    Teach you to ignore me, he told Gannicus silently.  And I'll give your requirements more fucking satisfaction than you can handle, he added to the nearby warship. He was Agron Niklaus, and he never fucking lost. He certainly wasn't going to start by losing the man he loved more than life itself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the conclusion of Part II of the Mind the Gap series. Part III will be coming to you shortly. I hope you have enjoyed the story and hope you will continue to stick around and see what's next for our boys. Thank you all for reading.


End file.
